From Bill Gates latest blog post I received via email today….
Steven Pinker’s new book tracks violence throughout history
and applies it to 15 different levels of progress to paint a holistic picture
of how and why the world is getting better. And despite what the media tells
us, a lot of things are better now than they’ve ever been. For example:
1. You’re 37 times less
likely to be killed by a bolt of lightning than you were at the turn of the
century—and that’s not because there are fewer thunderstorms today. It’s
because we have better weather prediction capabilities, improved safety
education, and more people living in cities.
2. Time spent doing
laundry fell from 11.5 hours a week in 1920 to an hour and a half in 2014.This
might sound trivial in the grand scheme of progress. But the rise of the
washing machine has improved quality of life by freeing up time for
people—mostly women—to enjoy other pursuits. That time represents nearly half a
day every week that could be used for everything from binge-watching Ozark or
reading a book to starting a new business.
3. You’re way less
likely to die on the job. Every year, 5,000 people die from occupational
accidents in the U.S. But in 1929—when our population was less than two-fifths
the size it is today—20,000 people died on the job. People back then viewed
deadly workplace accidents as part of the cost of doing business. Today, we
know better, and we’ve engineered ways to build things without putting nearly
as many lives at risk.
4. The global average IQ
score is rising by about 3 IQ points every decade. Kids’ brains are
developing more fully thanks to improved nutrition and a cleaner environment.
Pinker also credits more analytical thinking in and out of the classroom. Think
about how many symbols you interpret every time you check your phone’s home
screen or look at a subway map. Our world today encourages abstract thought
from a young age, and it’s making us smarter.
5.
War is illegal. This idea seems
obvious. But before the creation of the United Nations in 1945, no institution
had the power to stop countries from going to war with each other. Although
there have been some exceptions, the threat of international sanctions and
intervention has proven to be an effective deterrent to wars between nations.
