Yes, the world is getting better

Just don’t be misled by these last few years

One of the stranger things about myself is the fact that I’m convinced the world is getting better and I believe this is based on a rational analysis of the world. My friends can’t have the end of it. It’s the source of endless mirth. I’m one of those deluded people called… well, what should I call myself? An optimist? I wouldn’t choose that word if I had any choice on the matter: I don’t believe this is an optimal world. But if we use the word in a very specific meaning (“we are getting better as a species if we analyze history in the long term”), then, I’m an optimist, no doubt about that.

So, if this is true, if we are really getting better, why don’t people notice it? Well, people notice it in the small circle around them. At least, most of the people. But people also notice bad things in stronger terms than good things — and we talk a lot about bad things. We are used to think good thinks are normal and bad things are exceptions that must be spoken about.

Now, that’s exactly what I’m saying: good things are normal. We live in an increasingly good world. However, we talk about bad things a lot. And, in fact, bad things exist and make our life miserable from time to time — and for some unlucky people, bad things are the only thing they’ve ended up with. So, we live among lots of good things noticing first and foremost those awful bad things. (Am I explaining this too childishly?)

We should also understand that ours is a very demanding era: anything that doesn’t meet the highest standards is considered “awful” and so, the world is awful. Also, it’s much sexier to be a pessimist, especially in some European countries (for instances, France and Portugal). In some intellectual circles, there is an unspoken game which has this simple rule: the one who shows greater contempt for the world wins. It’s a vicious circle of pessimism and biased analysis of everything from literature to politics to science, etc.

Don’t get me wrong: we should be critical of everything. Anyone in love with science as I am knows that. But being critical means being rational and means acknowledging our biases — and the pessimistic bias is one of the strongest ones in Western culture right now.