Reflections on Half a Century of Progress | Opinion | The Harvard Crimson

[aryt alasti]

Steven Pinker says: "Only when people acknowledge the problems of their day and apply their ingenuity to solve them does anything get better." What he refuses to acknowledge is that many of the major problems which he cites as having been successfully addressed only had the necessary societal resources devoted to improvements, solutions and reductions of oppression because enough people were affected to the core of their beings and were spurred to action by the harms of current and future realities. If everyone followed Pinker's advice of: "Don't worry, it's all better than the past and everything will be even better in the future because we're acknowledging the problems of our time," a lot of people would have dedicated themselves primarily to focusing on their own self-interest and egos rather than to altruism, just as Pinker himself has done. 

https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2026/6/1/pinker-harvard-commencement-progress/

Here's the Crimson editorial board lamenting students' present inaction and acquiescence:

https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2026/5/28/harvard-editorial-commencement-protests/

                                           Aryt