Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress

and homosexuality, decriminalization of, 223

Human Development Index, 245, 483n42

humanist ideals and, 411–12

International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 234

Millennium Development Goals, 52, 89, 239–40, 457n31, 459–60n18

and outlawry of war, 163

peacekeeping forces of, 164

Population Fund, 222

Secretariat as “evidence-free zone,” 403

Security Council, 163

Sustainable Development Goals, 89, 468n15

Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 207, 209, 411–12, 418–19

United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 162, 418

United States

accidental deaths in, 167

calories available per person, 70, 70

capital punishment in, 210–213, 211

carbon emissions of, 143, 143–4, 144

childhood stunting in, 71

child labor force in, 230–31, 231

Civil War, 174

climate/Paris agreement and, 134, 152, 335, 449

corporal punishment and, 230

cyber-sabotage and, 304

economic inequality in, 98, 103, 105–6, 106, 114–17, 461n4

education in, 236–9, 237–8

emancipative values in, 225–7, 226, 227

and escape from poverty, 85, 85

GDP of, 85

happiness, underachievement of, 271–4, 283–9, 288, 292, 439, 475nn30–31, 483n42

homicide rates in, 169, 170–71, 170–71, 172, 192, 467n11, 469n4

malaria in, 66

maternal mortality in, 57, 57

nuclear power and, 146, 147–8, 149–50

nuclear weapons of, 317–18, 318, 480nn113,117,121

Optimism Gap and, 40

poverty rate in, 115–17, 116

retirement in, 250–51, 250

Rights, Bill of, 411

social spending in, 107–8, 108, 109

and spending on necessities, 254–5, 254

suicide rates in, 278–80, 279

terrorism deaths in, 192–4, 192, 194, 469n10

and Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 419

and World War II, 196

universal basic income, 119

Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 207, 209, 411–12, 418–19

university and college education

access to, expansion of, 220, 237–8, 238

critical thinking instruction, 377–9

general education requirement, 400–401

humanities instruction, 405–8

political leaders influencing, 347–9, 443

political science, leftist vs. quantitative, 405

politicization and, 372–5

science instruction, 34, 395–6, 400–402

See also academia; education; humanities

Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP), 158

urbanization

cultural contributions, 451

density of, as environmentally beneficial, 134

populism as decreasing with, 343

Urey, Harold, 308

utilitarianism, 415–17, 415–17. See also deontological ethics; happiness

Uzbekistan, 85, 86

vaccines

conspiracy theories about, 67, 334

for Ebola, 307

for HPV vs. hepatitis B, as politicized issue, 382

inventors of, 63–5

for smallpox, 65, 386

Trump and, 334

vacuum cleaners, 252

values

changes across age, period, and cohort, 224–5, 272–4, 275

and hierarchy of needs, 124, 224

See also emancipative values

Vatican City, 222

Venezuela, 91, 171, 172, 343, 467n12

Vico, Giambattista, 10

Vidal, Gore, 456n1

Vietnam, 85, 86, 90, 161, 206

Vietnam War, 50, 158, 160, 161, 193, 376

Vikings, romantic heroism and, 33, 398, 444

violence

against children, 229–30, 229, 232

decline of, objections to data showing, 44–7

evolution and, 25

vs. nonviolent resistance, success rates of, 405

pacifist’s dilemma of refraining from, 166, 414, 488n10

perceived as moral, 26

Romanticism’s embrace of, 30

social contracts against harms, 27–8

will to power and (Nietzsche), 33, 444, 445

See also genocide; terrorism and terrorists; violent crime; war; women: violence against

violent crime, 168–76

1960s boom, 169–70, 173–4

cognitive behavioral therapy and, 175

contraband and, 175

decline reducing support for death penalty, 212

decline since 1992, 170–71

decline with imposition of law, 168–9, 170

drugs and, 175–6

evidence-based approach to reducing, 176

focused deterrence and, 174

Great Depression of 1930s and decline in, 170

Hobbesian trap and, 173

homicide rates as reliable indicator of, 169

law enforcement as reducing, 168, 173–4, 176

legitimacy of authority and, 174

number of deaths due to, 167

opportunity reduction, 175

reductions via Compstat program, 380

rule of law and reductions in, 43, 168–70, 174

See also

criminal punishment; hate crimes; homicide; rampage shootings; terrorism

volcanoes and supervolcanoes, 152, 187–8, 295

Voltaire, 13, 39, 84, 162, 223

von Mises, Ludwig, 13

Wagner, Richard, 398

Wagner’s Law, 109–110

Wallace, Alfred Russel, 18

Wallis, John, 83

Wall Street Journal, 333, 362

Walmart, 117

war

atheism and, 429–30

battle deaths (1946–2016), 159–60, 159

chemical weapons, 459n18, 479n95

commerce/trade as reducing, 162

deaths, vs. terrorism, homicide, accidents, 192

decline of, between great powers, 157–8, 157

decline of, between nation-states, 158, 164

decline of civil wars, 164

definition of, 466n6

democracy as reducing, 162–3

economic equality generated by, 106–7

famine and, 78

illegality of, 163–4

as inevitable vs. a solvable problem, 166

international norm against, 163

mistakes and rumors as cause of, 376, 484n77

preparation for, as decreasing, 162, 467n18

refugees/displaced persons, 160, 338, 466n12

religious wars, generally, 10, 429–30

romantic militarism, 165–6