We often view the past through rose colored glasses, and compare it to a present viewed through the doom and gloom, scare mongering, sky is falling viewpoint of modern media.
Just 3 decades ago our annual homicide rate was 8.5 per 100,000. 11% fell below the poverty line (as measured by consumption). We released 20 million tons of sulphur dioxide and 34 million tons of particulate into the air. Today the homicide rate is 5.3 per 100,000. We release 4 million tons of sulphur dioxide and 20 million tons of particulate, despite driving more miles and using more energy.
In 1988 only 2 billion people lived under democracy, today over 4 billion (while some of that is population growth, there are more democratic countries now). In '88 something like 37% of the world lived in extreme poverty. today less than 10% and falling.
The list of feel good stats is even longer... life expectancy increased (while the opioid crisis is starting to subtract years from that). Childhood survival rates has improved dramatically, and many more.
I suspect some of this datum is cherry picked and there is much room for improvement still, but sometimes we should reflect on the good news.
JR
PS: This is extracted from an article about a new book "Enlightenment Now" Pinker. Clearly an optimistic Harvard psychology professor. I didn't know they even existed. :-\
Just 3 decades ago our annual homicide rate was 8.5 per 100,000. 11% fell below the poverty line (as measured by consumption). We released 20 million tons of sulphur dioxide and 34 million tons of particulate into the air. Today the homicide rate is 5.3 per 100,000. We release 4 million tons of sulphur dioxide and 20 million tons of particulate, despite driving more miles and using more energy.
In 1988 only 2 billion people lived under democracy, today over 4 billion (while some of that is population growth, there are more democratic countries now). In '88 something like 37% of the world lived in extreme poverty. today less than 10% and falling.
The list of feel good stats is even longer... life expectancy increased (while the opioid crisis is starting to subtract years from that). Childhood survival rates has improved dramatically, and many more.
I suspect some of this datum is cherry picked and there is much room for improvement still, but sometimes we should reflect on the good news.
JR
PS: This is extracted from an article about a new book "Enlightenment Now" Pinker. Clearly an optimistic Harvard psychology professor. I didn't know they even existed. :-\
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