Hope for Humanity

[Kizzie]

Because I was finding the news so depressing and have been feeling like the world is going to * in a handbasket I decided to finally get a book by Steven Pinker titled "Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress."   It was published in 2018 and I heard about it then but at the time was more into books about trauma (of which like many of you I suspect, I have stacks  ).

Basically he asks the question "Is the world really falling apart?" and then answers it with data, loads of data which he hopes will help us to step back from the assault by media of "gory headlines and prophecies of doom" and look at what the numbers are actually indicating. 

It's not an easy read because of the data but he is quite articulate at explaining the numbers and what they mean. I am about a third of the way through and find it's already lifting the pessimism and fear I have been feeling.  Above all else it really has renewed my belief in the benefits of reason, science, and humanism, and I can see once again the very real progress humanity has actually made.

Just thought I'd share this here because it has been such a tough few years in terms of alternate facts, anti-reason, anti-science, attacks on humanism... 

[CactusFlower]

Thank you for recommending that!  I'll take a look and tell a friend about it. It's nice to see when people provide actual proof and such. I often wonder these days if some of these people in positions of authority ever actually passed a basic science class. Thanks for passing this on.

[Kizzie]

Pinker is quite well known for his writing and teaching so is very credible.  His book is exactly what I needed in the midst of so much gloom and doom, alternate facts, anti this and that... He makes a humanist case for reason from the POV of a reasonable human - breath of fresh air.

Hope your friend enjoys it 

[Jazzy]

Thank you for posting this Kizzie. I agree with you about the news. I'm glad you are finding a positive way to find more hope and share that method with others.

[BeeKeeper]

Kizzie,

Steven Pinker's book is a great recommendation and even at 453 pages, worthy of the time. I've made it to the chapter on Safety (page 174) where he focuses on criminal justice reform as envisioned by Eisner.

"An effective rule of law, based on legitimate law enforcement, victim protection, swift and fair adjudication, moderate punishment, and humane prisons is critical to sustainable reductions in lethal violence."

Maybe start with legitimate law enforcement, upon which all the other issues rest. 

[Kizzie]

Wow, you're really rolling along!  I haven't made it quite that far but I agree, we so need to hold abusers more accountable. 

I'm hopeful because so many are working to get that nuanced understanding of trauma into the courts and policing.  In the past it was only BIG T trauma that drew their attention and even then ....   

Now there is much more discussion and action about coercive control which is about seemingly small T trauma but really isn't when you understand what you're looking at.  CC is all about emotional abuse, control and power over another human being, similar to N abuse in its effects when you think about it. 

Anyway, laws about it are popping up all over the world and that will help foster a deeper insight into trauma by important institutions that are supposed to protect us. My hope is that will help society in general to stop turning a blind eye to abuse/neglect in general and maybe then we can get some serious work done on prevention.  We'll see.