The Long Arc of Moral Progress | Michael Shermer

Steven Pinker writes: “Shermer has engaged the full mantle of moral progress and considered how far we have come and how much farther that arc can be bent toward truth, justice, and freedom." “Through copious data and compelling examples Shermer shows how the arc of the moral universe, seen from a historical vantage point, bends toward civil rights and civil liberties, the spread of liberal democracy and market economies, and the expansion of women’s rights, gay rights, and even animal rights. Never in history has such a large percentage of the world’s population enjoyed so much freedom, autonomy, and prosperity. The steadily unfolding revolution of gay marriage gives Shermer the opportunity to show how rights revolutions of many different kinds come about.“ [Steven Pinker is the author of "The Better Angels of Our Nature". He gave a SALT talk on “The Decline of Violence” in 02012.] Michael Shermer’s new book is "The Moral Arc: How Science and Reason Lead Humanity toward Truth, Justice, and Freedom". His previous books include "The Believing Brain" and "The Science of Good and Evil". He is the founder and editor-in-chief of "Skeptic" magazine and has a monthly column in "Scientific American". "The Long Arc of Moral Progress" was given on April 14, 02015 as part of Long Now's Seminar series. The series was started in 02003 to build a compelling body of ideas about long-term thinking from some of the world's leading thinkers. The Seminars take place in San Francisco and are curated and hosted by Stewart Brand. To follow the talks, you can: Subscribe to our podcasts: http://longnow.org/seminars/podcast Explore the full series: http://longnow.org/seminars More ideas on long-term thinking: http://blog.longnow.org The Long Now Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to fostering long-term thinking and responsibility. Our projects include a 10,000 Year Clock, endangered language preservation, thousand year+ data storage, and Long Bets, an arena for accountable predictions. Become a Long Now member to support this series, join our community, and connect with our ongoing work to explore and deepen long-term thinking: http://longnow.org/membership Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/longnow Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/longnow Subscribe to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/longnow