About the author
Steven Pinker is a Canadian American cognitive psychologist and public writer whose books cover language, mind, violence, rationality, and long-term measures of human well-being.
Enlightenment Now uses historical indicators to argue that reason, science, humanism, and liberal institutions have supported progress. Its trends depend on the selected measures, time ranges, and definitions, so the evidence is best read alongside criticism of what aggregate improvement can conceal.
Where to start
Start with Enlightenment Now for Pinker's data-led defense of progress, while paying close attention to the indicators and baselines behind each claim.
