I’m halfway through reading The Progress Paradox
Easterbrook spends a long chapter arguing how, in almost every dimension, life for Western countries is not (as many exclaim) diving into an abyss, but getting better. And, it has been getting better for decades.
Some Benchmarks of Improvement
I won’t exhaust the plentiful research Easterbrook has done on global trends. If you’re interested in seeing the full scope of the argument, I suggest reading the book. However, I’ll highlight some of the most important benchmarks he uses as a case for optimism:
- Income. The middle class today are wealthier (in terms of real dollars’ buying power) than the rich only a century ago.
- Environment. Aside for greenhouse gases, Easterbrook shows that virtually all forms of pollution and environmental damage are in decline in the west. CFCs, industrial pollutants, lead in gasoline, just to name a few.
- Crime. After peaking in the 1980s, violent crime is down significantly in the United States.
- Class Divide. The richest may have more money, but the lifestyle they can buy (travel, home ownership, air conditioning, etc.) are no longer restricted to a minority of the population.
- World Poverty. Although some pockets of the world continue to stagnate, the overall reduction in global poverty should be celebrated.
- Education. More people are going to school than ever before, Easterbrook argues. And college degrees are now open to more people, rather than just the elite class.
- Health Care. Sure, there may be flaws in any system, however people are living longer and healthier lives than before. Easterbrook claims that most diseases worldwide (AIDS is a notable exception) are in decline, and have been for years.
- Prejudice. The leader of the United States is black. Even if prejudice still exists, keep in mind that over half a century ago, men like Obama hadn’t even secured voting rights. Gay marriage may be a hot political topic now, but if you compare that to a few decades earlier where homosexuality was illegal, and it is easier to see the march of progress.
Even if you disagree with a few of Easterbrook’s claims, or argue that a few of his his perceived improvements are actually regressions, it’s hard to deny the overall picture: the world is getting better.
“Won’t Optimism Create Complacency?”
I think a part of the rampant pessimism in society is because people worry that claiming everything is fine creates complacency. Even if the world has been improving, complacency won’t eliminate world poverty or prevent a potentially devastating greenhouse effect. We need action, the pundits claim, and the vehicle for getting action is often fear.
I agree that we need to focus on the problems of the world if we want to solve them. However, I believe that the way to do that isn’t by denying all of the progress we’ve made so far. We should congratulate ourselves for the previously intractable problems society has overcome, and act on these new problems knowing with confidence that we have overcome bigger obstacles before us.
“Even if We Have More Money, We’re Spiritually Poor”
I’m calling bullshit on this doomsayer’s argument. The idea that the past was a simpler time with truer ethical values just doesn’t bear scrutiny. Can we really uphold that a century ago were more ethical times when World Wars were being fought, minorities couldn’t vote, and women couldn’t work?
Money can’t buy happiness. And it definitely can’t buy meaning for life. But that doesn’t mean money itself is the enemy. Global prosperity means less people performing menial labor, starving and more access to education and new experiences.
“What About the Non-Western World?”
Global poverty, AIDS and the fates of those born into countries without the privileges of the west are concerning issues. Western society should be concerned that our global neighbors are suffering. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t be optimistic about the future, nor that we need to ignore the successes already achieved.
Poverty exists today. It also existed a century ago, however in far greater volumes. However instead of celebrating the raising of GDP in countries like China, it becomes a global threat to world democracy and western jobs. Even victories are spun into defeats.
The World is Getting Better
Life is improving. We still have problems around the world. But we have the opportunity to solve those problems, as we have with the problems of preceding generations. The case for optimism doesn’t argue that we should become complacent, and stop fighting for a better life. Just the opposite, we should keep fighting because we have a track record for winning those fights.
I'm a speed-reading, vegetarian, holistic learning, productivity hacking recent university graduate. And, for the last five years I've been experimenting to find out how to get more from life.
Good to hear someone talking about all the positive things going on in the world. It seems all the media and critics ever talk about are the bad things going on. I think the 24 hour news cycle has a lot to do with the cynicism. Bad news sells and there is more time for them to fill.
I always liked to read Easterbrook’s TMQ column on ESPN.com. I will have to check out that book.
Hey Scott.
It is nice to read something with this frame of mind behind it. I agree that seeing things as fine doesn’t create complacency. Solid progress requires a foundation of content before it can occur. Someone who is in a dangerous community has less mental energy to use for their success than someone who is in a safe area who feels safe and content.
I like the fact that education is on the upslope, because it is negating controlled differences based on economic levels. The richest folks in the world still swim in pools consisting of water. Education is letting people realize the similarities between them and those who have amassed large amounts of wealth. I would not want this education spreading if I was in a position that benefited from a widespread lack of education. Knowledge seems to be bursting through previous barriers.
Good to read this message that points upward.
I think that the problem behind this is change. If we accept that the past was better, we can say that change only led to bad things and therefore reject change in the current time, allowing us to settle into a plateau. But if we were to accept that the present is better than the past, then change becomes a good thing and people in general, I think, are afraid of change.
I believe that we are evolving for the better and our conscience is also evolving for the better. It may not be pretty but it’s happening..
Your post reminded me of the popular video “Everything is Amazing and Nobody is Happy” were Louis CK in an interview with Conan Obrien makes fun of how people take technology for granted. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r1CZTLk-Gk
@JayCruz love that Louis C.K. video. I stumbled upon it when I asked my self if technology has made us any happier. I believe that technology and money can buy happiness, but it is insignificant compared to the happiness from a sense of purpose and belonging.
I believe that after you have a thriving social life, a job that you enjoy, and you actually provide true value to society, there is nothing wrong with that vacation home, or the not so practical car, or the travel plans you’ve dreamed of. Just don’t look for solace in those things when the more crucial parts of your life are missing.
Ah, nice to see more people with an optimistic view of the world!
Yes, there’s still poverty, crime and disease, and there will be for a long time to come. But we don’t need to feel miserable to fight them. We can fight them just as well (or better!) while feeling happy
Thanks for another great post Scott. We should also place emphasis on the extraordinary danger, which derives from this particular fear. People might actually get scared by global warming and just knock it off as sth unbeatable. Then they resign and tell themselves, that their behavioural vote doesn’t matter on a global scale and go on polluting. So in acknowledging our “track record” – as you call it – in solving global troubles, we should stand up and fight. But I doubt that fear is helpful; it rather is fairly menaceful when it comes to bringing up solutions and drawing energy every day. It is unfortunately but widely used as a defense towards destructive behaviour.
Scott
A friend and I appreciate that a young man such as yourself has found a book that has shown you some truth about the world that is contrary to what the major media outlets and the culture would have you believe. Your next course is to discover the foundational principles that dintinctly drive human progress in the manner outlined in The Progress Paradox, those being Judeo and Christian monotheism, and capitalism.
Let me know if you’d like some recommendations on your next read.
Sincerely
The middle class is wealtheir is wrong, considering the inflation , middle class is going down
lists,
Untrue. In real dollar buying power (inflation adjusted) the middle class in western nations (and especially in emerging economies like China) has gone up, up, up over the last few decades. Dramatically so.
If you’re referring to the widening gap between the rich and middle class, that is true. While the middle class have gotten much richer, the rich have become richer by an even greater degree. However this increase in income inequality isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
-Scott
[...] down, I’m a die-hard optimist. I believe the world is getting better and that the pursuit of the ideal life is possible and worthwhile. While I disagree with a lot of [...]
Liked it .
Finally found something similar to what i was thinking.
I have faith in humanity and future and true believe that we will get better.
[...] Steve Pavlina – Do It Now BodyRock.tv – The Power of Exercising Today Zen Habits – A Guide to Creating a Minimalist Home Scott H. Young – Why the World is Actually Getting Better [...]
The world is a better place, and now thanks to the internet the 7 or so people in the world who think so can communicate with one another!
See? Getting better all the time. I tried telling someone yesterday that on the whole, globalization and capitalism had brought more people out of poverty and provided better incentives against war than anything else in history.
Not a popular opinion.
Is not the Bible true that when people speak of peace and optimism at that time which is now actually happening, destruction will inevitably come. you can read it somewhere in the new testament. ooh, ooh!
I never thought of it that way. If you think of 100 years ago compared to now, sure the world is becoming better.
But I was always thinking of the world long ago when everyone lived in little villages and all worked together to get there food and water etc.
Everyone back then was happy and healthy and there was very little poverty.
Right now we think having computers and movies and all is really fun and cant give it up, but if we never had them then wouldn’t racing someone be just as fun?
What do you think about this?
Is the world better now than it was thousands of years ago when people lived in small villages?
steven,
If you believe the world is better than 100 years ago, that’s almost certainly more true that it is better than 1000 years ago. Your statement that everyone was happy and poverty did not exist are false–murder, wars, slavery, famine, illiteracy and religious persecution were all much higher in those times.
If you desire the simplicity and community spirit of villages of yesterday, move to a small town in a developed country and be glad you’re born in the 21st century.
my 2 cents.
-Scott
[...] längre nu än någonsin. Ingen påstår att världen är perfekt – men den är faktiskt bättre på de flesta sätt än den någonsin har varit. Allt annat är grundlöst okunnigt önsketänkande och [...]
Facinating! such a simple concept that has so much truth in it – but the majority are so opposed to. We have been conditioned to focus on sufferring because it sells news – the media loves negativity and doomsday advertising! Personally I am ready to accept the beauty of this world – There are so many amazing caring people doing courageous caring things for each other all the time – I want to focus on them.
Whatever you put your attention to – becomes bigger.
If you want flowers to grow in your garden stop watering the weeds!
Thanks Scott – a little bit of positivity out there in the world can go a very long way
It is good to be positive and try to look for the good things. I agree with that. It is also good to not turn a blind eye to the areas that are much worse than they have ever been, even just 40 years ago. Shouldn’t we speak truthfully about areas that need work, in order to bring about positive changes.
Younger generations don’t know what they are missing. Yes they can be entertained with big screen T.V.’s and computer games, but that does not compare to interacting with human beings. Unfortunately many more children today do not have the love and security of the family unit, with both a mother and father living at home. One final observation regarding how society has changed for the worse. Forty years ago, if a baby were born early and the mother didn’t plan to have that baby, it would be put up for adoption. It would not have mattered that she may intended to have an abortion, if the baby were born alive it would have been rushed to in incubator, no matter what the mother may say. Back then a baby had rights to be treated as a human being when it was born.
Today, If a woman wants a late term abortion, and the baby happens to survive, and come into this world breathing, it is just left to die. What kind of a society can approve of such treatment of the most innocent and helpless of all human beings? If there were no other reason than this, I would have to say the world is not a better place today.
[...] about every way you can measure, the world is a better place today than it was before. Life expectancy is up, poverty down, even most environmental indicators aside from greenhouse [...]
[...] about every way you can measure, the world is a better place today than it was before. Life expectancy is up, poverty down, even most environmental indicators aside from greenhouse [...]
@ Scott Cogswell “Your next course is to discover the foundational principles that dintinctly drive human progress in the manner outlined in The Progress Paradox, those being Judeo and Christian monotheism, and capitalism.”
OK.. that is hilarious..Religion has fought progress throughout history.. fought against science, against rights for minorities & women..etc etc.. I think the world is getting better because the world is become more secular and educated..and are progressing past religion.
If you want to truly get a good idea of what Christianity can do for humanity go back to when Christians were at the height of their power..http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inquisition
[...] Just about every way you can measure, the world is a better place today than it was before. Life expectancy is up, poverty down, even most environmental indicators aside from greenhouse [...]
I hate to be the pessimist here, but I am.
Though you may be right that wealth has grown as much as it has the reason is quite simple cheap available energy. Which will end in a relatively short time.
None of the progress you are talking about would have been possible without 2 things – fossil-fuel and rape-of-nature.
In the western world we spend 10 calories to create 1 (because of high energy demand in food production).
Fish is getting to be a scarce resource without enough control (50% of fishing outside Norway is illegal).
There is this picture I got a few years ago about a pond with 1 waterlily. Lets say it takes 30 days before the pond is stuffed with waterlilies. On day 29 only half the pond is full and everything seems fine! Actually never has more lilies been happy growing in this pond. They have enough space, food everything seems well.