The limitations of Steven Pinker’s optimism

Re:The limitations of Steven Pinker’s optimism by js8 on Monday February 26, 2018 @01:54AM (#16463643)

I still have to read the book, but I am a bit worried that it will have a similar fate to Fukuyama's End of History..

It's interesting to compare Pinker and Chomsky. IIRC, in some interview Pinker said that he has much more skeptical view of human nature than Chomsky.. And yet, regarding the humanity as a whole, he seems to be more optimistic than Chomsky, who considers (and rightfully so, I think) global warming and nuclear war as two grave dangers. Although Chomsky also often states that things are somewhat getting better when it comes to human rights and so on.

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Re:The limitations of Steven Pinker’s optimism by jhbadger on Monday February 26, 2018 @02:28AM (#16463751)

I think "The End of History" gets a bad rap. People say the rise of China (for example) is a counterexample to his theory, as it is becoming economically successful without being a democracy, but with all the clever wordplay Chinese citizens are using online to get around attempts of censorship, it is really questionable how long China's educated and technologically sophisticated populace can be controlled by a one party state.

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Re:The limitations of Steven Pinker’s optimism by garmaine on Monday February 26, 2018 @04:12AM (#16464097)

I think Tianimen square and it’s afterma is a counter example to this.

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