Rationality and Human Progress: Steven Pinker's Insights

Steven Pinker is a psychology professor at Harvard University and author of 'Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters.'
Rationality matters because it helps explain progress and positive trends in areas such as health, wealth, and education.
Despite progress, there are forces working against it, such as human nature, entropy, and the tendency toward disorder.
We can measure human progress in areas like health (longevity, reduced child mortality), wealth (reduced poverty), and education (increased literacy).
Violence has also declined significantly, though recent events like the invasion of Ukraine by Russia are a reminder that progress isn't always linear.
Pinker argues that progress is not just about optimism, but about looking at data and understanding trends.
While we have made strides in rationality, with advances in technology and knowledge, there is also a lot of irrationality, such as conspiracy theories, fake news, and the spread of misinformation.
Pinker believes that our collective rationality stems from institutions and processes that allow us to test ideas, debate, and learn from our mistakes.
Threats to rationality and progress include authoritarianism, nationalism, populism, and the suppression of ideas through cancel culture.