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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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- R
- 10-05-18
Made me so happy
The world is so much happier, safer, more productive and capable of achieving amazing feats than rolling news or printed press would have you believe. Listening to Pinker's undeniable reason read by Arthur Morey is like the calming voice of a parent talking a terrified child back to happiness after a nightmare.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Clive
- 20-04-18
Utterly fantastic.
This is a must read for everyone. I was very much a fatalist prior to this book but he uses data and undeniable logic and rationale to show a much more optimistic view of human kind. It has genuinely changed my perception of the world.
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- Marie Čechová
- 08-11-19
Relevant! Argumentative! Goes to the point.
Steven Pinker is my favourite popular science writer. And this book I año exception. One petpeeve would be him not talking enough about mental health but since everything else really helped me in a hard mental health time I can overlook it. This book is really what it aims to be and I just really want more people to read it. His once-in-a-while are also tasteful and funny.
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- Josh
- 07-09-18
A truly positive perspective shifter
I can't recommend this book enough. A fantastically rational and we'll present account of the current state of affairs. An insightful and positive perspective on the world. 🌍
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- Nickstar
- 05-06-19
Eye-opening narrative about human progress and history
A great book to put the doom and gloom portrayed by the modern media and other sources into context.
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- MR D MORSE
- 26-02-22
Important and inspiring messages
Many of you will come to this book with a respect for reason and science, and a sense of optimism; but Pinker dissects every important facet of our existence, and astutely and comprehensively articulates the reassembly with wisdom, clarity and hope. A fascinatingly profound and uplifting polemic.
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- Amazon Customer
- 05-07-22
Wonderfully encouraging. A must read!
If you adjust the listening speed to 1.2x you’ll have a much better experience than the original speed.
Other than that, this is a must read. In a world of sound bites and Instagram meme info, this book provides distance and perspective that’s well researched and well articulated.
I will definitely be returning to sections of this book again and again when the world seemingly gets to be too much.
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- Stuart
- 11-03-21
Feeling enlightened!
Worth the time I spent listening. I used to be a deep pessimist but this book has opened my eyes wider than ever. It has given me so much optimism for our future. Good for the 'soul'.
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1 person found this helpful
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- TonyLogie
- 26-04-18
just brilliant!
a master of evidence based reasoning. could not stop listening to this excellent performance. Will do it again in a couple of weeks!
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- Anonymous User
- 22-12-18
Recommend listening.
Summary: Science is awesome and everything is getting better. Prove me wrong.
Explains a lot what is happening now.
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