The fruits of modernity are self-evident, and modern men and women experience these fruits in their everyday lives - when they go to the pharmacy to pick up antibiotics, when they fly halfway around the world on a jet aircraft, when they turn up the heat in their home during the winter and so on. Though human beings have a tendency to romanticize the past, only true reactionaries - for instance, religious fundamentalists - fail to acknowledge or completely reject the obvious benefits of progress. While many suggest that things are worse than ever, we’re still experiencing the benefits of the Enlightenment.Most people would agree that progress is a good thing, and few would deny that there has been extraordinary progress over the course of human history, or that human existence has improved in innumerable ways during the modern era. It looks at everyone as a child of the world and recognizes that just because someone was born in a different country doesn’t mean they’re less deserving of the same rights. Cosmopolitanism is a rejection of tribalism and the narrow-mindedness that pits one group against all others. Humanism also led to what’s known as cosmopolitanism, which can be seen in today’s modern values. Before this period, religious fervor had been responsible for the bloodbath of the Crusades, and humanism offered a moral footing to acknowledge that genocide and murderous conquests weren’t acceptable. Early versions of neuroscience, psychology and cultural anthropology opened the door to humanism, which offered a secular way for people to understand and respect one another. With the emphasis on science, people began to value knowledge, especially as it pertained to certain universal human traits.

Prior to the age of reason, slavery was seen as a fact of life, but as the values of Enlightenment spread, reason shook the foundations of this barbaric practice and eventually helped bring it down. Reason means that there are things in the world that are non-negotiable – that no matter what your so-called sacred text or authoritarian leader says, only reason can dictate the ultimate right. And thus four main Enlightenment themes began to take shape: reason, science, humanism and progress. Prior to the Enlightenment, spells of bad weather were blamed on witches or angry, sky-dwelling gods oceans and forests were the domain of evil beasts and scores of people were tortured and killed in the name of religion. The Enlightenment started in the first half of the eighteenth century and it offered a bracing antidote to the rampant ignorance, terror and paranoia to which society had previously been in thrall. Indeed, it profoundly influenced the future development of Western society. Sometimes referred to as the “age of reason,” it was a historical watershed moment. If you’re familiar with European history, you’ve probably heard of the period known as the Enlightenment.

Enlightenment Now by Steven Pinker