Are Things Getting Better?

In his book The Better Angels of Our Nature (2011), Steven Pinker argued that the present is likely the most peaceful time in the history of the human species. In his later work Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress (2018) he posited that life has been getting for most people. These views seem at odds with the general shared sentiment that “things” have been getting worse, with some pointing to the ever-looming threat of global climate change, decline in civil society in many Western societies, increasing concentration of wealth, or other negative trends. Is Pinker right to believe that today is, for the average person, the best it’s ever been? Why or why not? If not, is there a time in the past we can truly say was better? And, as a species, what does tomorrow hold for us?