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EPISODE · Oct 21, 2018 · 51 MIN

Can Reason Save Us?

from Philosophy Talk · host Philosophy Talk

To an optimist, things are constantly getting better: disease and extreme poverty are down; life expectancy, literacy, and equality are up; and it’s all thanks to the glory of human reason. But a pessimist would point to the continuing presence of injustice, oppression, and war, and the dangers of global warming and nuclear annihilation. So who’s right? Are we really living in an age of progress? And can reason really save us? Josh and Ken try to reason with renowned cognitive scientist Steven Pinker, author of Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress. This program was recorded live at Kepler’s Books in Menlo Park, CA.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Oct 21, 2018

What this episode covers

To an optimist, things are constantly getting better: disease and extreme poverty are down; life expectancy, literacy, and equality are up; and it’s all thanks to the glory of human reason. But a pessimist would point to the continuing presence of injustice, oppression, and war, and the dangers of global warming and nuclear annihilation. So who’s right? Are we really living in an age of progress? And can reason really save us? Josh and Ken try to reason with renowned cognitive scientist Steven Pinker, author of Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress. This program was recorded live at Kepler’s Books in Menlo Park, CA.

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How long is this episode of Philosophy Talk?

This episode is 51 minutes long.

When was this Philosophy Talk episode published?

This episode was published on October 21, 2018.

What is this episode about?

To an optimist, things are constantly getting better: disease and extreme poverty are down; life expectancy, literacy, and equality are up; and it’s all thanks to the glory of human reason. But a pessimist would point to the continuing presence of...

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