# Steven Pinker on the case for optimism

- Institution: TED
- Department: The TED Interview
- Speaker: The TED Interview
- Year: 2018
- Level: For everyone
- Language: English
- Subjects: Mathematics, Society and politics
- Source: [TED](https://www.ted.com/talks/the_ted_interview_steven_pinker_on_the_case_for_optimism)
- Licence: [CC BY-NC-ND 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) (Non-commercial use only, and no changed versions.)
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (sources give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the source's own words)

Was 2017 really the "the worst ever," as some would have us believe? Cognitive psychologist and linguist Steven Pinker shares data that shows: actually, it was one of the best overall. At TED2018, head of TED Chris Anderson sat down with Steven to take a closer look at the data that suggest the world is improving -- and to unpack why so many people find this idea so challenging. (Audio only)

## Lectures

1. [Steven Pinker on the case for optimism](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/learn/ted/the_ted_interview_steven_pinker_on_the_case_for_optimism/f55e8a9940fa), 57 min (TED's player)