The Enlightenment: Is this the foundation of progress and meaning?

Pinker, S. (2018). Enlightenment now: The case for reason, science, humanism and progress. UK: Penguin Books.

Progress
Steven Pinker has written a rather large, interesting and easy to read book about human progress since the enlightenment. There certainly has been a lot of progress and that progress seems to be gathering momentum. In my own life time I have seen many improvements and innovations. I remember (fortunately I don't have Alzheimer's) living as a young child in the western suburbs of Sydney. We had an ice box for a refrigerator and the ice man would come regularly in his horse and cart to deliver a block of ice to keep our food fresh. We did not have a car, a telephone or a television. When I was married my wife and I had a car but we waited several years before we could afford colour TV and phone. My children and their partners acquired these devices as soon as they moved to their first home. May grandchildren haven't even left school and they have their own mobile phones, iPads, Playstations and watch Netflix using their own channels to access their favourite shows.

Pinker uses a lot of print, paper and graphs to painstakingly show how the Enlightenment has enabled this progress, not only with technology but in many other social and environmental domains in Western countries and beyond. For example (in a similar fashion to the web site - HumanProgress.org) he shows how we have progressed in areas such as health, lifespan, wealth, equality, environment, peace, safety, and so it goes on for another 300 pages until you get to the meatier chapters of 'Reason', 'Science' and 'Humanism'. There is only one problem, this progress did not start during the Enlightenment, most of the ground work was laid during the Dark ages (also see previous blog - Inventing the Individual) when Christianity permeated into most of Europe. No one doubts that the momentum picked up after the Renaissance and the development of modern scientific method even though the interest in Greek philosophy and scientific method was nurtured in the monasteries of Europe (see future blog - The Book that Made Your World - listed below). Through the centuries the momentum has gathered pace to the point where human knowledge doubles every few years and technological advancement rapidly alters how we interact in almost every aspect of modern living. One would expect that progress should gain momentum, as knowledge and technological innovation are cumulative. But to presume that somehow this began during the Enlightenment is wishful thinking and overstated.

Reason
Pinker contends that, the ideals of the Enlightenment were products of human reason. Human nature itself has always struggled with rationality by using argument to justify belief. People automatically act on their feelings and use reason to support their presuppositions. It is often quite difficult to attempt to change the beliefs of another person particularly if those beliefs are well entrenched. Pinker seems to think that all Enlightened people need to do to create a better society is to have  diverse groups that engage in rational debate. The presumption is that eventually the great questions that plague mankind will somehow be solved by human reason. Until recently most people in the West had been enculturated with Judeo-Christian teachings and therefore expect to treat others as they would want others to treat them. Until recently sharing a common core of beliefs such as this created a climate of trust enabling the coming together of minds.

In recent times, following the devastation of two world wars, this core set of beliefs has been brought into disrepute and replaced with ideologies: multiculturalism, globalisation and post modernism with their embrace of diversity and relativism. What we are now experiencing is the rise of tribalism and polarisation of belief on the far right and also on the far left. Rather than using informed argument and debate, the protagonists prefer to label and condemn (see a previous blog - The righteous Mind). Terms such as 'hate speech', 'privileged white males', 'toxic masculinity' and 'shouting down speakers' who present different ideas silence freedom of thought and reason itself. There appears to be no recognisable or agreed upon 'common ground'.

Science
As mentioned above, modern scientific inquiry and rigorous research began in the European monasteries and was the catalysts for a plethora of new ideas. Modernism embraced Enlightenment ideals but sidelined the foundation of faith. Postmodernism has sidelined both faith and reason by asserting that truth is relative. The danger is that the flowering of reason, new ideas and harmony will wither if the roots of our Judeo-Christian heritage are severed completely. Humanism without the faith foundation, has failed to bring in a golden age of harmony and understanding. The postmodernists have recognised this but have instead sowed division instead of harmony. Yes, many aspects of our modern world are getting better, people are getting richer, living longer and healthier lives but there is a crisis of meaning. There is evidence of an existential angst; people are feeling lonelier and suicide rates are climbing rapidly (see interview with Johnathan Haidt) despite Pinker's claim that the lives of the ordinary person has improved exponentially.

Conclusion
This book is worth reading because it acknowledges what most of us take for granted. Living in the contemporary world has become so much better in so many ways. The concern is that we do have a crisis of meaning and that all the mod cons that we are privileged with do not necessarily make life more meaningful. If we, as a society ignore our Judeo-Christian roots, the soul of our civilisation will wither at our peril.


Other book reference:
Mangalwadi, V. (2011). The book that made your world: How the Bible created the soul of Western civilisation. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Internet links (some hyperlinks above):

Punishing the crime vs blacklisting the soul: Quilette

Enlightenment wars: Quilette

Prager U:  Dark ages

Pinker is wrong about the Enlightenment

HumanProgress.org

Are we suffering from a crisis of meaning?

One year later: Steven Pinker addresses his critics.

Also consider: The wealth of the One Percent - human progress and the myth that the one percent are robbing us all.

The French genocide that has been air-brushed from history:Quillette