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Enlightenment Now
- The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 19 hrs and 49 mins
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Enlightenment Now
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Summary
Brought to you by Penguin.
Is modernity really failing? Or have we failed to appreciate progress and the ideals that make it possible?
If you follow the headlines, the world in the 21st century appears to be sinking into chaos, hatred and irrationality. Yet, as Steven Pinker shows, if you follow the trendlines, you discover that our lives have become longer, healthier, safer and more prosperous - not just in the West but worldwide.
Such progress is no accident: it's the gift of a coherent value system that many of us embrace without even realising it. These are the values of the Enlightenment: of reason, science, humanism and progress. The challenges we face today are formidable. But the way to deal with them is not to sink into despair or try to lurch back to a mythical idyllic past; it's to treat them as problems we can solve, as we have solved other problems in the past. This is the case for an Enlightenment newly recharged for the 21st century.
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What listeners say about Enlightenment Now
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- ANDREW NORRIS
- 15-02-18
A must for everyone.
This is a fabulous piece of writing from one of the worlds most enlightened polymaths. It's an uplifting journey of reason and human progress. Highly recommended.
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23 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mike PC
- 01-03-19
Great book, bad audiobook
First, I would like to comment on Pinker's work.
It cannot be doubted that Steven Pinker is a wise man, demonstrating here rare intellectual qualities as well as judgement. However, as this is a piece of work focused on facts and not opinions (which is actually what it also tries to educate the reader on), it requires a high level of trust to be put on the author in regards to the validity of the various claims, statistics and numbers accompanied by the level of trust that the author is taking into account all sides and angles of each subject.
There arrle quite a few times that I disagree with Mr. Pinker, mainly in the inequality chapter and his viewpoint on socialism and socialist countries (e.g. bringing up people's misery in Cuba or Venezuela, failing to take into account how the sanctions imposed on these countries, strangled them to their knees etc). I wouldn't account it as bias but indicates a failure in looking political matters more spherically and from an objective standpoint.
Now, about the audiobook. This is a poor recording. It sounds very muffled and bassy, very hard to listen to clearly while driving on the motorway with engine and tyre noise at the background; something that has not been the problem with all other audiobooks in my library which sound crisp and clear. Also, I would like to mention that Arthur Morey's narration is not doing it for me as it sounds outdated in style with a heavy american accent.
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20 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alex D
- 22-03-18
The kind of book that makes you like humans
buy it. read it. make notes.
Throw the good facts at people when they're sad at the world.
Then listen to it again!
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19 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Matt Lewis
- 29-04-18
the middle is worth the read
preachy ending - dull beginning - but the middle section and all the facts contained are worth the read - some excellent facts backed with data that prove we should all smile a little more based on the knowledge we truly have never had it so good. real pity about the end section as it almost ruined the book
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14 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- mike ryan
- 30-08-18
Not sure what the point was...
First off I loved "The Better Angels Of Our Nature", but this book falls short of his other work. The premise of this book is the social and technological progress are good, then fine, who says otherwise?, he uses the most random facts from different times and countries to say things have gotten better since the 1700s or middle ages...great, what's your point?
He cherry picks facts to create a rosy licture while barely acknowledging the real issues of growing mass wealth inequality and the dilution if democracy by corporate interest.
His use of cherry picked statistics is such that he defends the age of reason while not displaying much himself, very disappointing.
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13 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- David
- 17-03-18
Rational and optimistic view of the world
Feeling gloomy about recent political and societal developments, felling uneasy about apparent reversal of liberalism and progressive thinking? Get some dose of Steven Pinker's unabashedly optimistic account of our long term march towards enlightenment and more humane, fair, liberal and prosperous society. Brexit and 2016 elections are but minor speedbumps on the road to lift millions out of poverty, fight deadly diseases, discover more about our world through scientific method, and spread respect for basic human rights and freedoms. Human condition may full of flaws but it's filled with hope and progress.
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10 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
- Mr. J. A. Ball
- 06-03-18
A case for humanistic reason
For me, this has been a very enjoyable audio. I can relate to much of Steven Pinker's reasoned thoughts and find the ideas within presented in a very easy to comprehend manner.
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7 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Richard Lovell
- 22-03-18
Essential listening
Everyone should take notice of the statistics presented in this book. Enlightening and uplifting, clearly presented. The real antidote to depressing headlines isn't to switch off the news, it's to appreciate how far we have come.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- MadgeUK
- 19-02-18
Content good but
Dreadful robotic narration. Returned it and got written version because Pinker has interesting things to say.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Fred
- 21-06-19
Great content but a hard slog as an audiobook
Found it difficult to stay enthused during the audiobook as it seemed to drag on. Lots of references to charts and data which would be easier to follow when reading the book. Great points made and well articulated however. Would ultimately suggest that this is more suited to a book than audiobook.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mark
- 26-02-18
Glass half-full
We live in an age of doom and gloom. All the news we hear seems to be bad. Everything seems to be turning to shit. Americans were so disenchanted with this state of decline that they elected Donald Trump. The British were so disillusioned that they voted for Brexit. We have global warming, overpopulation, pollution. What is happening? How did things get so bad?
They didn’t. Stephen Pinker’s latest book is an optimistic look at the state of the World today. Like other feel-good books I’ve read & reviewed (‘The Rational Optimist’,’ Abundance’, and Pinker’s own ‘The Better Angels of our Nature’), this book tries to convince the listener that things aren’t really as bad as they seem – and it succeeds.
His method in this book is statistical. Basically, for each different aspect of World life that he examines, he provides evidence of progress by using graphs to show that things have become massively better over time.
Now, it’s awkward to look at graphs when you are out in the woods on your bike, but fortunately this isn’t necessary, because they are all well-described in the audio narrative and are pretty straightforward. Of course, if you want to check them out later, there is an accompanying pdf.
Looking at a whole screed of indices of human well-being and progress, Pinker shows us that on a global scale things have moved and are still moving in a very positive direction: Life expectancy, child mortality, poverty, war, road safety, human rights, civil rights, literacy etc etc. are all getting better over time, and in the process he also explains why it is that we are often not aware, or fail to fully notice, these encouraging trends.
Because all these observations are supported by hard statistics, it is very easy to be convinced. He also makes the point that there is no place for complacency. All the gains we have made have been the result of hard work. We face challenges that require continued hard work and ingenuity, and we need to commit ourselves to this in order to continue our progress.
This is a very refreshing and uplifting look at our World and is well worth a listen.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Cj
- 08-05-18
Great Content - well researched
This was an enjoyable and informative audiobook.
My only issue was with the Steven's anti-Trump bias. Some of his criticisms were indeed justified. However when discussing creeping authoritarianism and war, there was no discussion of Barrack Obama or Hilary Clinton in their roles as war mongers in Syria or Libya. Their complete disregard for congressional approval in waging war against those sovereign nations was unconstitutional. Obama too was an Authoritarian. Steven's push back against populism is understandable, though how it was represented was biased in my opinion.
He also makes the case for cosmopolitanism and open societies while addressing the inherant totalitarianism and radicalism present within Islam. It would have been interesting to hear his thoughts on how a cosmopolitan and liberal society can co-exist with people who hold antithetical beleifs, and what should be done at a state level re immigration and how to deal with people who fail to integrate.
His criticism of Nietzche was interesting.
I enjoyed listening to his arguments for secular, humanist societies built around the philosophical universalisation of morals and ethics. His information re the reduction of crime and poverty in all countries, even the poorest and the increased life span enjoyed by all people was uplifting.
Other than the above criticisms I highly reccommend this audiobook. It was enjoyable, interesting and entertaining.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 04-01-23
The Most important book of our time...
Everyone should read or listen to this... Steven Pinker is one of, if not the most important purveyors of 'what the hell is actually going on'... Use that free credit on this book...
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Harry Evans
- 26-11-21
Amazing
Best book I’ve read in 5 years. Amazing. Narrator is fantastic and content is inspiring.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Brett Lederle
- 15-03-21
A scientific case for optimism
I loved it for the factual nature of the improved state of our world, I little bit tedious and long winded towards the end, but I'm do glad I read it... (listened)
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- Dinesh Senan
- 21-07-20
Essential reading for responsible global citizens
For anyone wishing to have an informed, fact-based & balanced perspective on wide-ranging issues straddling politics, economics, finance, sociology, religion and spirituality, this colossus of a book stands as a timely beacon in terms of objective clarity and wisdom. It will certainly be invaluable for policy makers as well as for responsible businesses and thinking voters around the world. It helps us “to know where we stand”, sans exaggeration, as a species on the most pressing issues facing our species today. Here, ‘good news’ finally gets its fair air time too, which is often lost in the sensationalist world of the media of today. It is for me quite simply the most powerfully intelligent, refreshing and useful book I have read in a decade. Thank you Steven Pinker. 🙏🏼
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 10-05-20
A powerful piece of Human Optimism
Long book. Full of great data and a powerful optimistic argument. Very well narrated.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Client d'Amazon
- 10-09-19
An important and timely work
Thank goodness for voices of reason like Steven Pinker's. It saddens me that he endures so much criticism from people who should really be applauding the direction he is steering the public discussion. This book is huge in scope and he takes up positions of guarded optimism (on the whole) that are generally well argued and sensible, while avoiding glibly cataclysmic assessments. I never write reviews. But this book has prompted me to break this habit. Listen to it, stay calm and let's do what we need to do.
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- Anonymous User
- 02-08-19
Excellent
I enjoyed this story of humans authored by Pinker. Morey did an excellent job narrating - he seemed passionate / knowledgeable on the subject that several times I had to remind myself that this production was not read by the author.
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- JK 277
- 19-01-19
awesome book
This is a book I will return to frequently to ensure I am not swayed by the tempory news cycles
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