Good morning ,
Last night I caught up with some old school friends, and after solving the
world's economic crises, discussing the merits of AUKUS and reflecting on whether our respective parents ought to have got together in the first place, we ended up taking differing sides when it comes to the question of whether one ought to be optimistic or pessimistic about the future.
Whenever I get too frustrated with short-termism and shallowness, I try to remember Steve Pinker's book, Enlightenment Now: the case for Reason, Science, Humanism and Progress. Human history has always progressed through crises and I think it
will do so for at least centuries to come.
Pinker has clarified that his book is not merely an expression of hope—it is a documentation of how much we have gained as a result of Enlightenment values, and how much we have to lose if those values are abandoned.
Which is why it's important not to give up fighting the good fight.
