Steven PinkerThe Better Angels of Our Nature
ProgressThe Better Angels of Our Nature
Steven Pinker
Violence has fallen over the long run of history, and here's why.
The books that shaped Intelligent Optimism: big ideas on progress, science, technology and human nature, backed by evidence. Start anywhere. Each one will change how you see the world.
Our top picks for anyone new to Intelligent Optimism. Together they make the whole case: the world is getting better, here is the evidence, and here is why it can keep going.
Hans Rosling
Ten reasons we get the world wrong, and how to see it as it really is.
Steven Pinker
Reason, science and humanism have made life longer, safer and freer.
Matt Ridley
When ideas meet and trade, prosperity grows. That's the human story.
Peter Diamandis & Steven Kotler
Why technology can bring a good life within reach of everyone.
David Deutsch
Problems are inevitable, and problems are soluble. Knowledge has no limit.
Read the data, not just the headlines.
The Intelligent Optimism wayHand-picked by the Intelligent Optimism team over the years. Still some of the best reads on progress and the future.
Violence has fallen over the long run of history, and here's why.
How technology and the internet can end ignorance, disease, poverty, hunger and war.
A thoughtful argument that, despite real problems, hope is the reasonable choice.
More than 150 leading thinkers answer one question. Dip in anywhere.
How the brain thinks, and what that means for building intelligent machines.
Brain-machine interfaces, and minds that reach beyond the body.
How science will shape daily life, from computers to medicine, by 2100.
How a connected world changes people, nations and business.
One curious man travels the world to meet the people building tomorrow.
Newer books that carry the story forward, on climate, resources, human nature and the speed of change.
Science and reason have made us more moral: rights, fairness and freedom keep spreading.
A hopeful history: most people, most of the time, are decent.
A data scientist shows how we can be the first generation to build a sustainable planet.
Rich countries now grow while using fewer resources. How that happened.
As people multiply, resources get more plentiful, not less.
The tools of good thinking, and why they matter more than ever.
When technologies meet, change speeds up. A tour of the next decade.
How to think big and use exponential technology to tackle the world's biggest problems.
Documentaries from our old recommended list. Wonder, science and the human story on screen.
The classic 13-part journey through the universe, and our place in it.
Sagan's series reborn for a new generation, with stunning visuals.
The story of human progress, told through science and invention.
Six great philosophers and what they teach about a good life.
Look for the data behind the big claims. Good books show their sources, and the best ones change your mind with facts, not feelings.
Progress shows up over decades, not days. Ask how things look against 50 or 100 years ago, not last week.
Intelligent optimism is active. Pick one idea from the book and share it, test it or build on it.
Tell us, and we may add it to the shelf.