Steven PinkerThe Better Angels of Our Nature
ProgressThe Better Angels of Our Nature
Steven Pinker
Violence has fallen over the long run of history, and here's why.
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“Read the data, not just the headlines.”The Intelligent Optimism wayThe books that shaped Intelligent Optimism: big ideas on progress, science, technology and human nature, backed by evidence. Start anywhere. Each one will change how you see the world.
Our top picks for anyone new to Intelligent Optimism. Together they make the whole case: the world is getting better, here is the evidence, and here is why it can keep going.
Hans Rosling
Ten reasons we get the world wrong, and how to see it as it really is.
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Reason, science and humanism have made life longer, safer and freer.
Find the bookMatt Ridley
When ideas meet and trade, prosperity grows. That's the human story.
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Why technology can bring a good life within reach of everyone.
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Problems are inevitable, and problems are soluble. Knowledge has no limit.
Find the book“Read the data, not just the headlines.”The Intelligent Optimism wayHand-picked by the Intelligent Optimism team over the years. Still some of the best reads on progress and the future.
Violence has fallen over the long run of history, and here's why.
Find the bookHow technology and the internet can end ignorance, disease, poverty, hunger and war.
Find the bookA thoughtful argument that, despite real problems, hope is the reasonable choice.
Find the bookMore than 150 leading thinkers answer one question. Dip in anywhere.
Find the bookHow the brain thinks, and what that means for building intelligent machines.
Find the bookBrain-machine interfaces, and minds that reach beyond the body.
Find the bookHow science will shape daily life, from computers to medicine, by 2100.
Find the bookHow a connected world changes people, nations and business.
Find the bookOne curious man travels the world to meet the people building tomorrow.
Find the bookNewer books that carry the story forward, on climate, resources, human nature and the speed of change.
Science and reason have made us more moral: rights, fairness and freedom keep spreading.
Find the bookA hopeful history: most people, most of the time, are decent.
Find the bookA data scientist shows how we can be the first generation to build a sustainable planet.
Find the bookRich countries now grow while using fewer resources. How that happened.
Find the bookAs people multiply, resources get more plentiful, not less.
Find the bookThe tools of good thinking, and why they matter more than ever.
Find the bookWhen technologies meet, change speeds up. A tour of the next decade.
Find the bookHow to think big and use exponential technology to tackle the world's biggest problems.
Find the bookDocumentaries from our old recommended list. Wonder, science and the human story on screen.
The classic 13-part journey through the universe, and our place in it.
Sagan's series reborn for a new generation, with stunning visuals.
The story of human progress, told through science and invention.
Six great philosophers and what they teach about a good life.
Look for the data behind the big claims. Good books show their sources, and the best ones change your mind with facts, not feelings.
Progress shows up over decades, not days. Ask how things look against 50 or 100 years ago, not last week.
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