Summary of Enlightenment Now

This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice. Do you believe the world is on the brink of collapse? Think again. Despite the daily barrage of negative headlines, people around the globe are living longer, healthier, freer, and happier lives. While the challenges we face are formidable, the solutions lie in the ideals of the Enlightenment—specifically, the power of reason and science to improve the human condition. In Enlightenment Now, cognitive scientist and public intellectual Steven Pinker challenges the prevailing narrative of doom, urging us to look beyond our psychological biases and the sensationalism of the media. Using seventy-five eye-opening graphs, Pinker demonstrates that life, health, prosperity, safety, peace, knowledge, and happiness are all on the rise—not just in the West, but worldwide. This progress, he argues, is not due to any cosmic forces, but rather the enduring gifts of the Enlightenment: the conviction that reason and science are the cornerstones of human flourishing. Far from being an outdated or naïve hope, the Enlightenment ideals of reason, science, and humanism have proven to be powerful forces for good. However, these ideals are under attack today, challenged by tribalism, authoritarianism, and magical thinking—forces that demagogues are all too eager to exploit. In Enlightenment Now, Pinker makes a compelling case for defending these principles against those who seek to dismantle them, arguing that they are essential for continuing our progress and tackling the problems of our time. Written with intellectual depth and literary flair, Enlightenment Now is a bold defense of the ideals we need to confront our challenges and build a better future.