Introduce by telling us who Pinker is and what his book is about.
What is the problem that the book addresses? In other words, what does the author call our attention to?
What is the solution that the author proposes? Is it some specific course of action, a change in government
policies, a change in attitudes, or something else? What does the author want from us?
Look at Pinker’s evidence—the scope of his investigation, the quality of his sources, the reasoning involved in
his conclusions. Are the book’s assertions supported well? Remember your reading on issues like credibility.
Does Pinker have identifiable biases?
The first four chapters create a context for Pinker’s presentation of the evidence, and chapters 5 through 19
examine specific areas in which Pinker claims civilization has experienced progress. Focus on one of these
middle chapters and assess Pinker’s case.
Life (Chapter 5)
Health (Chapter 6)
Sustenance (Chapter 7)
Wealth (Chapter 8)
Inequality (Chapter 9)
The Environment (Chapter 10)
Peace (Chapter 11)
Safety (Chapter 12)
Terrorism (Chapter 13)
Democracy (Chapter 14)
Equal Rights (Chapter 15)
Knowledge (Chapter 16)
Quality of Life (Chapter 17)
Happiness (Chapter 18)
Existential Threats (Chapter 19)
The last three chapters are focused arguments for reason, science, and humanism, respectively. If you agree
that the progress Pinker cites has occurred, can that progress be credited to “reason, science, and
humanism”? In other words, do we accept Pinker’s causal claims?
Cover the four content sections above, with your main development focused on sections 3 and 4. Write an
appropriate conclusion.