Is the world getting better or worse? A look at the numbers | Steven Pinker

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blippage · 2021-07 · Recommendation

"Is the world getting better or worse? A look at the numbers | Steven Pinker" [VIDEO] tl;dr: it's getting better. We're living longer, homicides are down, fewer wars and autocracies, etc..

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JoshCole · 2018-05 · Recommendation

A quick google search puts the average number of deaths due to car crashes at 3,287 per day [1]. Another one gives me a list of four deaths attributed to autonomous vehicles [2]. Not four per day. Just four. Ever. Memory leads me to recall that statistical reports indicating that vehicles with assistive features like autopilot have a better than traditional safety record [3]. I especially disagree with your thought experiment, because I've watched YouTube videos of situations in which Tesla's autopilot avoided accidents both through stopping and through swerving out of the way [4]. I don't agree with your claim that robotic cars tend to have more severe accidents than traditional cars. [1]: [LINK] [2]: [LINK] [3]: [LINK] [4]: [LINK] The short seller thesis for TESLA is that since the company is one which is valued based on its story, not its underlying fundamentals, it follows that its price will be volatile in response to negative press (accidents, missed projections, etc). There is a clear path from this observation to making money via negative press. If you're interested in hearing more about how the world is a lot better than you thought it was, but the truth of our situation is distorted by competing forces, here are some cool TED talks [5][6]. [5]: [VIDEO] [6]: [LINK]

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maerF0x0 · 2022-02 · Reference

if we look at the human race's success across time though we've survived many pandemics and many hard to adapt to events. I guess it entirely depends on your scale of perspective, from individual and short term to species and long term. An example of support for success could be: [VIDEO] (Steven pinker TED talk)

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