Where is the Hope?
I am not quite sure how I feel about Steve Pinker’s Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress. It was like riding a roller coaster for me. There is the thrill and edge-of-the-seat anticipation of ratcheting to the peak just before a heart stopping descent through the twist and turns, not knowing which way is up or down. Pinker does this by introducing supposed societal ills only to present counter arguments buttressed by facts. He does a wonderful job of showing that the world is indeed a better place since the Enlightenment and the evidence is unassailable.
However, just like the roller coaster analogy, there are the pivots and zigzags in Pinker that I have trouble understanding. For example, on the one hand he supports Kishore Mahbubani’s ideas in The Great Convergence 1that help explain the causes for worldwide progress: decline of communism, leadership, end of the Cold War, globalization, and science and technology. And yet on the other vilify Ronald Reagan as a “know-nothing.”2 Really? The person who was a significant influencer in two (decline of communism and end of the Cold War) out of the five factors leading to worldwide progress is someone to blame?
Be that as it may, what intrigued me about Pinker’s project is the effusive manner in which he wrote about all the positive indexes pointing to the fact that we live in a better world. Human progress in areas of health, food, wealth, inequality, the environment, peace, safety, equal rights, terrorism, democracy, quality of life and other measurable indicators of progress all have good trajectories pointing to an optimistic view of the future. But he had to pause and backpedal a bit when it came to the happiness index in the United States. Apparently studies show that happiness increases with a nation’s wealth.3 Countries such as Denmark and Singapore report outsized levels of happiness compared with countries having weaker economic growth.4 The United States is a country with a strong economy and is wealthy by all accounts. But the United States reports a lower level of happiness in relation to its wealth. “Whatever the reason, happyologists agree that the United States is an outlier from the global trend in subjective well-being.”5
Why is the United States an outlier on the happiness index? That is good question and worth exploring. But I’ll have to save that for another time. For now what intrigues me is the idea of hope. There were several missed opportunities for the author to connect the idea of a future-looking human flourishing with hope. But he did not. Sure he would begin sentences with a trivial “I hope to show….” or “I can give you no hope….” but that is far different than the kind of hope intrinsic to humanity. This is not the “pie in the sky, bye and bye” kind of hope where one rails against reality to escape it. Rather, it is the mature hope that C.S. Lewis talks about in Mere Christianity; the kind that looks longingly to a future eternal world. Lewis says this is not a form of escapism or simple wishful thinking.
In a world without hope Pinker is clear, that if all of the advances in knowledge, peace, safety, democracy, rights have left us no happier but just lonelier and suicidal, that it would be history’s greatest joke on humanity. And clearly suicide is a final solution that is diametrically opposed to happiness. But is history a jokester? Is the field of study called history even blameworthy? What is humanism’s response if humans are ending their own lives? The sad reality is, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting that the suicide rate for people aged 10 to 24 increased by 56% between 2007 to 2017. Suicide is now the 2nd leading cause of death among members of Gen Z. Studies show drastic changes in outlook of life among teens, all pointing to an all time low. Jean Twenge says teens today are “on the verge of the most severe mental health crisis for young people in decades.”6
Gen Z is not happy and yet hope remains illusive. Humanism’s answer is to hope in humans. But that is no hope. The Humanist Manifesto III from 2003 proudly affirms that humans are “the result of unguided evolutionary change.”7 That is like saying “I’m hoping to visit the Cotswolds” but without a map, means, or the ability to ask for directions. After all it is “unguided.” Gen Zers are smarter than that but they need to know there is a better way. On the topic of human progress, Lewis says “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next.”8 Gen Z’s hope must be directed heavenward. It is a strange rule, Lewis says, but “Aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in;’ aim at earth and you will get neither.”9
1 Steven Pinker, Enlightenment Now: the Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress (NY, NY: Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2018). 80-94.
2 Ibid., 374.
3 Ibid., 270.
4 Dan Buettner, “The World’s Happiest Places,” National Geographic, November 2017, 37.
5 Pinker, 272.
6 Jean M. Twenge, iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious,
More Tolerant, Less Happy—and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood and What That Means for the Rest of Us. (New York: Atria Books, 2017). Kindle. Loc. 1318.
7 Pinker, 410.
8 C.S. Lewis, The Complete C.S. Lewis Signature Classics (New York, NY: HarperCollins Publisher, 2002). 75.
9Ibid
About the Author
Harry Edwards
Harry is married to Minerva and has the privilege of raising two young men. He is the founder and director of Apologetics.com, Inc., an organization dedicated to defending the truth claims of Christianity on the internet, radio and other related activities. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Christian Education and a Masters of Arts degree in Christian Apologetics from Biola University where he currently works full time as the Associate Director of the graduate programs in Christian Apologetics and Science & Religion. Harry is currently pursuing a DMin (Leadership & Global Perspectives) from George Fox University. He is an active member at Ocean View Baptist Church where he leads an adult Bible study and plays the drums for the praise and worship band. In his spare time, Harry enjoys doing things with his family, i.e., tennis, camping/backpacking, flying RC planes and mentoring others to realize their full potential in the service of our Lord.8 responses to “Where is the Hope?”
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Love your analysis regarding hope Harry. I too wondered what Pinkers overall “hope” was in writing this book. To just say “Hey, things are getting better,” or to point us in a certain direction, that direction being one that is more enlightened? I greatly appreciate his research, dedication, humor. . . but where is the hope?
Great post. If all we have is hope in us as humans we will continue to see these awful stats raise. There has to be a hope outside of us which drives us to be alive and live on purpose. Your research will be greatly needed for the future!
Great post, Harry. This statement strikes me…
But the United States reports a lower level of happiness in relation to its wealth. “Whatever the reason, happyologists agree that the United States is an outlier from the global trend in subjective well-being.”5
Aren’t we also the most Christian nation with a history rooted in such and yet this is our reality? What is the role of the Church in this?
Hey Tammy, the short answer to your question is, in my humble opinion, the church is God’s agency, his hands and feet, to not only act as a preservative in society, but to be the light that shows the way to human flourishing, ultimately living in his presence forever. All the brokenness, both in the physical and spiritual realm, brought about by sin is the church’s call to restore things to its proper order. Jesus’ prayer for the kingdom to come on earth ought to be the prayer of the church today.
The long answer? That’s called the dissertation. Hahahaha. 🙂
Harry,
I think you have nailed where Pinker is lacking. Perhaps he believes that empirically demonstrated progress at macro levels will inspire hope? The preponderance of his data and derived findings do not seem to recognize or value the inspirational value of hope as an essential ingredient for transformation, perhaps the only true measure of “progress.” What do you think?
Hey Harry, great question. I think Pinker is unable to appeal to hope because it’s one of those transcendent qualities. It’s something beyond the, to use Taylor’s term, imminent frame. He would have to smuggle in a lot of Christianity if he mentions any notion of hope. That’s why he has to be effusive and over-the-top in his assessment of human progress to shift our attention away from even a Petersonian (my term) notion of hope.
Harry, I like your post and how you point out that Pinker’s hope is in humanity, which we know as Christians can not really bring true hope. I think that’s why we are seeing a gross failure of the systems that Pinker trusts in. I think it will only be through prayer that we will overcome this current crisis that the country is going through.
Amen Mary. Our true hope is in Christ. The lasting human flourishing we seek can only be found in the one who gave us life. Our job as Christian leaders is to let others know that truth. At the same time, we can definitely point to others (i.e., the experts we’ve been reading) as having figured out some stuff, giving them credit that they can take us a bit further in our knowledge of things; but at the same time recognize its limits.