Extended Summary Of Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism and Progress – By Steven Pinker
INTRODUCTION
There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the human race: since the 18th century, when the era of reason began, humanity has managed to reduce illness, poverty and violence, even though these regrettable elements still exist today. However, even if they have not yet been completely eradicated, it is undeniable that we live in a world where superstitious, warlike and racist thinking is criticized by the majority. The key to obtaining this optimistic perspective is to put the history of humanity in context, and to be aware of the objective progress that has been achieved.
The goal of this book is to defend the ideas that support the modern era and whose intention is, in truth, to continue fighting to build a better world. Steven Pinker presents us with a refreshing and hopeful prose, above all because his arguments are based on real data and statistics that start from “The Enlightenment” as a watershed between a dark humanity and another governed by reason.
Progress is constituted by three fundamental steps: reason, science and humanism. Pinker motivates us to continue rising them, as indeed it has been done since the 18th century. This has led to progress that has not been done by a few but has become massive for most people in all aspects of life. However, it does not mean that we are out of danger, because we are still attacking reason, science and humanism for the benefit of the few, so it is necessary to prepare ourselves to defend them.
If there are days when you get discouraged by seeing all the bad news around the world, which makes you believe that humanity is going from bad to worse, this is the time to change your perspective through historical analysis. Thus, you will realize that you are living in the best moment in centuries and you will be able to appreciate the hope and happiness that surround you. This book will help you understand how life expectancy has improved from the past, how conditions have improved for many people and why we should not fear new technology, which is our ally.
PART I: THE 18TH CENTURY AND THE NEWS
The eighteenth century was a key moment in history and indicated the way in which humanity would develop; those ideals could then continue in force and in full application. Great philosophers like Immanuel Kant began an irreversible change in which reason would become the solution for all the ills of society, beginning by the removal of power by religious manipulation. From reason, humanism and science flourished to give us a deeper understanding of human nature.
Humanism is that Enlightenment thought which posits that all people are equal, and nobody should be above anyone else. This created a new moral to sensitize social systems at all levels, such as government, education and trade. However, despite this radical change and well-being that humanism has brought to the world, some leaders insist on discarding it to the point of denying facts that have been scientifically proven, such as climate change.
Regardless of whether these public figures belong to the right, like President Donald Trump, or if they are supporters of the left, they discredit humanism, science and reason inherited from the eighteenth century, arguing that they have been more harmful than useful. In the long run, time will give its verdict and prove that civilization has a prosperous future, contrary to the idea that it is in a permanent decline.
However, the responsibility for progress does not rest exclusively with the humanist revolution of the eighteenth century. This time was the seed, but hundreds of human beings were in charge of improving the ideals later. Science has played a leading role and has given us some principles that are essential to complement contemporary humanism:
1. ENTROPY: there is no divinity that directs the cosmos and, in reality, the universe is disordered by nature.
2. EVOLUTION: life arose, precisely, without any divine influence thanks to this natural disorder of the universe.
3. DNA: transmits information that comes from the universe and is responsible for directing evolution.
Of course, there is still much work to be done and we must still do our part so for that reason, humanism and science continue to guide us as they have done since the Middle Ages ended. Our planet and the environmental crisis need the best version of us, although we can continue the progress recognizing that we have not done things incorrectly: pollution has decreased noticeably for some decades, for example, and diseases and famine are issues that are actively being fought today. Let's move towards the future, but let's make it free from panic and despair.
The statistics from the Enlightenment to the 21st century indicate, without a doubt, that the human race has not stopped improving. This does not mean that there have been no mistakes and setbacks along the way, but our intelligence has given us the ability to learn from these and readjust along with our technological tools. In addition, we not only learn from mistakes, we can also learn from success. That is what this book describes.
CHAPTER 01: HISTORIC CONTEXT
If you are familiar with universal history, you will know that there was a time when bad weather was the product of the fury of the gods, evil creatures reigned in the depths of forests and oceans, and religion looked favorably on torture and murder in the name of faith. Ignorance produced fear and paranoia, and humanity cried out for an invigorating change. The Enlightenment, also known as the age of reason, was the historical and decisive point that shaped the future of Western culture, changing the course to finally emerge from obscurantism.
The pillar of this renovating era was the reason, which gave people the power to free themselves from religious authoritarianism and its manipulative leaders. Reason referred us to everything that were objective facts and not mere unprovable superstitions. For example, before reason entered the picture, slavery was a common practice and was accepted despite its barbarity, because it was justified as being something normal. Applying reason put in this in doubt and, although the process was slow, finally its abolition was the most logical result.
From the eighteenth century, science captured the attention of society thanks to the reestablishment of a high value for knowledge. They studied with great zeal the universal characteristics that connect us all as human beings and began to outline what in the future would be psychology, anthropology and neuroscience. All of these sciences were linked to a humanistic culture that fostered respect and understanding among all people. Humanism made clear the concept of genocide and its just application to describe some consequences of religious fervor, such as the Crusades or the conquests of America.
CHAPTER 02: THE TEMPTATION OF DECLINISM
There are several relatively common modern beliefs that undermine the positive ideals inherited from the Enlightenment. One of these is religious faith, sometimes accompanied by movements against science, believing it corrupted the ancient values of religion. Another is the belief that humans are dispensable parts of something greater than themselves, or that the interests of the people must be subordinated to a larger and more important ecosystem.
However, the most dangerous and prevailing belief of all is the decline, which leads many people to think that civilization is about to collapse. Instead of creating a desire to heal society, this belief generates violent responses that consist of a desire to end the whole system, because it seems that there is nothing to lose because we could not be "worse". Thus, people lose sight of the fact that the solution lies not in destroying the institutions that organize the modern world, but rather in improving them from within, taking advantage of their existence and their framework for progress.
To avoid declinism, it is necessary that we make use of the reason to analyze the enormous and negative amount of information that we receive everywhere, especially from the news. This tendency to share only the bad facts makes us think that negative events are more common than positive ones and, therefore, the world is an undesirable and corrupted place.
CHAPTER 03: MYTHS THAT DRIVE US TO DECLINISM
Below is a list of the most common arguments against progress, along with the author's counter arguments.
1. THE