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It's better than it looks : reasons for optimism in an age of fear / Gregg Easterbrook.

by Easterbrook, Gregg.

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PublicAffairs, 2018.

Quality of life.

Civilization, Modern -- 21st century.

Economic history.

Economic conditions.

Social history.

9781610397414 (hc.)

Alternate title:

It is better that it looks

Reasons for optimism in an age of fear

xx, 330 p. ; 25 cm.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 289-317) and index.

Why don't we starve? -- Why, despite all our bad habits, do we keep living longer? -- Will nature collapse? -- Will the economy collapse? -- Why is violence in decline? -- Why does technology become safer instead of more dangerous? -- Why don't the dictators win? -- How declinism became chic -- The "impossible" challenge of climate change -- The "impossible" challenge of inequality -- We'll never run out of challenges -- And it will never be too late.

Is civilization teetering on the edge of a cliff? Or are we just climbing higher than ever? We're facing a series of deeply troubling, even existential problems: fascism, terrorism, environmental collapse, racial and economic inequality, and more. Yet this narrative misses something important: by almost every meaningful measure, the modern world is better than it ever has been. In the United States, disease, crime, discrimination, and most forms of pollution are in long-term decline, while longevity and education keep rising and economic indicators are better than in any past generation. Worldwide, malnutrition and extreme poverty are at historic lows, and the risk of dying by war or violence is the lowest in human history.

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