Different newspapers, online media outlets, and news channels offer a ton of worldwide stories that are sure to pique your interest- and maybe even frighten you a bit. These forms of news media channels exist to showcase the extremes of society. Unfortunately, much of what is shown on the news contain sad stories of turmoil, war, and destruction.
Updates on the death tolls from national disasters, governmental conspiracy theories, and the war on terror are all prevalent on the news today. For those who tend to base their perceptions of the world off of what they see portrayed on these channels can often have a sad and distorted view of the world. One Harvard professor sought to change the negative way in which people view the world because they are constantly fed with sad stories.
Steve Pinker is a psychology professor and has written a book titled: Enlightenment Now, The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress. He admits that publishing this book in 2018 may seem like an ironic time to do so, based on some of the governmental shifts in the United States.
This book focuses on the positive occurrences that may not have the huge newsworthy title to make it appear as frontline news. He also addresses the fact that people’s memories and opinions are clearly affected by images. This is one of the many reasons that people may believe that there is more bad occurring in the world than good.
People would be more likely to hold onto images showing a flaming city than one of someone helping an elderly woman cross the street. This is definitely a book worth investing in and will prove the existence of progress in a world where it may seem like progress is non-existent.