Its easy to believe that the world is falling apart while watching the news: climate change, political division, coups dtat, the global pandemic, Russias ruthless war on Ukraine, Hamas unjustifiable killings and the Middle East careening toward widespread violence. Before panicking, it may be worth stepping back to get some perspective.
Media-driven fear demoralizes us particularly when were young and engenders terrible political decisions by crippling our ability to do better.
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This is of course little consolation to those living in conflict zones. But the data speaks to the problem with the constant barrage of contextless catastrophe and doom. Analysis of media content across 130 countries from 1970 to 2010 indicates that the emotional tone has dramatically and consistently become more negative. Negativity sells, but it informs badly.
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The data show what we all fundamentally know: the world has improved dramatically. Life expectancy has more than doubled since 1900. Two centuries ago, almost everyone was illiterate. Now, almost everyone can read. In 1820, nearly 90 per cent of people lived in extreme poverty. Now its less than 10 per cent. Indoor air pollution has declined dramatically, and its outdoor equivalent has also done so in rich countries. If we could choose when to be born, having all the facts at hand, few would choose any time before today.
This incontrovertible progress has been driven by ethical and responsible conduct, trust, well-functioning markets, the rule of law, scientific innovation and political stability. We have to recognize, appreciate and proclaim the value, and comparative rarity, of each of these.
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We need to foster an environment that challenges fearmongering and promotes optimistic yet critical thinking and constructive discussion about the future. We hope that our new Alliance for Responsible Citizenship, which will host its first international conference in London next week, will be of aid in this regard, by bringing people of good will and good sense together from around the world to formulate and communicate a positive vision of the future.
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These policies dont make for catchy headlines, but they can do immense good: for a cost of $35-billion annually they would save an astounding 4.2-million lives and make the poorer half of the world $1.1-trillion richer every year.
If we stop being driven by fear, and instead look to the data and the bigger picture, we can see that the world is better than it was, and is likely to get better still. We have a responsibility to adopt the very best policies to move ahead.
National Post
Bjorn Lomborg is president of the Copenhagen Consensus and visiting fellow at Stanford Universitys Hoover Institution. His latest book is Best Things First.Jordan B. Peterson is professor emeritus at the University of Toronto and author of Maps of Meaning, 12 Rules for Life and Beyond Order.
Original post:
Jordan Peterson and Bjorn Lomborg: The world is not as gloomy as the media would have you believe - National Post