Enlightenment Now

Bill Gates CEO/MicrosoftPinker is at his best when he analyzes historic trends and uses data to put the past into context. I was already familiar with a lot of the information he shares—especially about health and energy—but he understands each subject so deeply that he’s able to articulate his case in a way that feels fresh and new. I love how he’s willing to dive deep into primary data sources and pull out unexpected signs of progress. I tend to point to things like dramatic reductions in poverty and childhood deaths, because I think they’re such a good measure of how we’re doing as a society. Pinker covers those... (Source)

Yuval Noah Harari HistorianThere is of course much to argue about, but that’s what makes this book so interesting. (Source)

Sam Harris [Sam Harris picked this book as the first book in his Book Club.] (Source)

Miguel Angel Escotet Bill Gates has just read his “favorite book of all time” — Steven Pinker’s Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress. • https://t.co/nD4y5FyVTU via @qz • https://t.co/gj3WIJBdse (Source)

Luis Alberto Moreno Today at 2:30 pm via Facebook Live I'll be speaking with Harvard's Steven Pinker about his new book, which has prompted a fascinating debate about data, progress, perceptions and optimism about the future. Join us and send your questions. https://t.co/C1YDRoPhAs https://t.co/9kcTFkdnbH (Source)

Nando De Freitas @dlowd @yudapearl @sapinker @black_in_ai @WiMLworkshop @DeepIndaba @kaifulee Having read both, I still recommend the book of Pinker 😊 Would love to chat once you’ve read it. (Source)

Faisal Saeed Al Mutar Faisal Saeed Al Enlightenment now. With the honorable advisory board member of my organization @IdeasB2 Professor Steven Pinker @sapinker from Harvard University and Author of Enlightenment Now. @BillGates favorite book of 2018. https://t.co/h8H3e2roOi (Source)

Jesse Torres "My favorite new book of all time." - Bill Gates - Read more => https://t.co/junIAaTDSv  https://t.co/UgQv62FCrF (Source)

Alexander Stubb I am in the middle of listening to @sapinker’s ”Enlightenment Now”. Simply brilliant! A must for anyone trying to make sense of the world. Factual optimism. Glad mother-in-law is getting me the physical version of the book for Christmas. Will re-read. https://t.co/1OtESHNeNR (Source)

A.J. Jacobs If you look at the long view of human history that we should be thrilled to be alive now. (Source)

Rebecca Goldstein The author (who happens to be someone whose thinking I so admire that I married him) argues that the project of reason, both the moral reason of the philosophers and the empirical reason of the scientists, remains the best hope of humankind. (Source)