Steven Pinker on Why the Future Looks Better Than You Think

Extreme poverty, violence, and life expectancy are all improving, according to the data. So why does the news so often give us the impression that civilization is in decline?

In this episode, we speak with Steven Pinker, professor of psychology at Harvard and bestselling author of Enlightenment Now, for a data-driven check-in on the state of progress.

We discuss:

• How the big-picture trends in longevity, pollution, literacy rates, and more show that the world is getting better.
• How the structure of news consistently creates pessimism about human progress.
• What has genuinely gotten worse in recent years (war deaths, democratic backsliding) and what forces are driving it.
• How progress is not automatic, but possible if we strive for it.
• How we can continue advancing towards an even better future, including abundant clean energy and the abolition of war as an institution.

On the Existential Hope Podcast hosts Allison Duettmann and Beatrice Erkers from the Foresight Institute invite scientists, founders, and philosophers for in-depth conversations on positive, high-tech futures.

Full transcript, listed resources, and more: https://www.existentialhope.com/podcasts

Follow on X.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.