Michael Hardner

I don't think that you can call the Quebec HRC liberal OR Liberal.

To add: I'm not sure his philosophy is close to mine, or that I'm anywhere near as optimistic as he is. But in terms of his analysis of the broad strokes in history, and how institutions have served us, I would say my assessment is pretty close to his overall. Is coming from someone, myself, who was raised deeply embedded in religious culture versus Pinker who I think is an atheistic Jew.

I'm just about done this book now. The main thesis is that all aspects of life are getting better over time, over the long term, thanks to the twin inventions of humanism and reason+science. I absolutely have problems with Pinker's blunt rejection of several philosophies and his logic at times. Especially around the health of the Zeitgeist... but this was written in 2018 or so. And, to be self-critical, Even the politics of the last 10 years are a blip when you go back to the age of reason to now.... Which was centuries ago I do think that the main thesis, people getting their information from news sources that gives them a negative view, is valid . Although I'm not interested in defending someone else's ideas, as much as my own, I thought I'd put this forward. And I'm definitely not interested in debating a lot of people on this. Mostly I advise you pick up the book, or get an audiobook from the library. Here are the main points in a very short summary, discussion with Bill Gates.

Wow. Well... Okay that's a lot of work though. I can tell you what's going to happen. I'm going to be responded to on all sides by people who disagree On the other hand, a lot of the things I would say are already covered in a book. Maybe what I'll do is take one or two aspects of what you wrote and put that in a thread with some videos where the author is speaking to the points. I like the discussion because it's actually not left or right political. It's about rationality more than anything. If I forget to start this then please remind me. Thanks

Yeah, most of what you posted I would say that I disagree with... much as with the assertion that violence is getting worse. But it's too much for this thread, needs it's own. If you get the news from the news then that's a problem, with regards to long-term trends. Even Climate Change has things to feel good about. But again I ask: is the news reporting the good things? No? Why not?

Hear hear 👍 Our conservative tendencies saved lives...

https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/M-2.1/page-1.html Good to go in Canada 👍

1. Oh, I LIKE your interpretation but it's subjective. For me, also. There are other examples of this happening. I think that peace is a defensible option, although I don't think it's just. 2. I think it's more like seven decades. As I said there are other examples, including by our allies.

The thing is, if you want to avoid the fog of subjectivity you have to go to some kind of measurable metric to figure it out. In terms of conflict, this the peace institute that DUI posted measures deaths through war, basically. The stats have been approving marketedly in the last 25 years, with the exception of the last two for obvious reasons Let's take off our hats for a second, and analyze the media on a non-political axis. Axis. One thing I agree with Pinker on is that the media loves gloom. Do you remember them constantly reporting wars that wars are on a decline? That world hunger is on the brink of being solved? That's part of pinker's main thesis. And I agree with that part.

I read it, and it seems like they are mostly concerned about the potential for future conflicts given their dyad analysis. That said, they've only been measuring that since 2008 according to the peace index link on that article. And the number of deaths through conflict is a third of what it was in the years before the turn of the century again according to them. So I would say... Generally, things are trending to less violent, however, there's no reason to not be vigilant about the future.

1. 2. I addressed this in my response. I'm just talking about what is going to happen. Metaphors on what that means, vary.

I'll read this.

I haven't heard anybody say that something like that is going to happen. Which seems likely is that the Ukraine war will end with some territory being ceded to Russia. That is a failure though, no doubt. The United Nations and ICC have provisions against it, and it's no longer considered normal for a state to "conquer" another outright. Sanctions and international opinion should continue to pressure Russia to withdraw.

Do you have a cite? I haven't heard that one.

You realize that we've already been there in a recent post, right?

This guy? "What I find more disturbing is that this gentlemen, representing himself as a monastic under the Russian >Orthodox Church Outside Russia, operates a website on which he launches some very serious attacks >against the Jewish people. In his website introduction he states, "I wish to warn how Zionist Jews are >destroying Christianity throughout the world." The website is: http://www.realzionistnews.com/" A mentally ill anti Semite who purports to be an Orthodox cleric... ... Family entertainment on a Wednesday night I'm sure...

Interesting that you "know" I'm Jewish too And why would you be on the JDLs radar hmm? 🤔

Okay well I wouldn't go that far. There's a big space between.... People. Don't trust them, and they must be removed. I live in that space.

Well, I'm not going to defend the thesis of someone as qualified as Steven Pinker. I recommend you search out the articles, but from what I've seen they align from the statistics I've seen. Keep in mind that they're going to use empirical data tracked from several sources over time. They will not just be quoting conflicts. For what it's worth. I do believe there was a spike upwards in World war II.

I'm doing the audiobook of Enlightenment Now! I recommend that to all conservatives. You misunderstanding me is not my cognitive dissonance. It's your misinterpretation I trust the institutions at heart, and think they all need to be reformed. All of them. That's a far cry from saying, for example, Bush did 9/11. And yes lots of people on here think that.

1. 2. Ok, so you don't believe me. Don't talk to me if you think that I am a liar. Where do you think anti GMO, anti vax came from? Granola hippies who oppose science somehow migrated the political spheres. But they're still that way. Anti nuclear, anti everything. 3. I define chuds as ignorant people. Period. 4. If you want to use my definition, fine, but you're saying that you are ignorant then. And you want me to use your definition then just post what it is and I'll look at that.

The trend is towards less violence and fewer wars over time

1. Nobody can force me to select between false choices. And I won't 2. Chuds are ignorant people of any political stripe. I personally know more left chuds than right ones. 3. Of course it has, I have never doubted that. But rejecting all institutions isn't going to help us.

It depends on what you're referring to.

Actually, I'm doing the audiobook of Steven Pinker 's Enlightenment Now! and his entire thesis is that there's CONSTANT SLOW IMPROVEMENT in all aspects of human activity and life, and that these things are chronically under-reported. I don't agree with all of it, but a lot of it is definitely true.