Is human society improving
You know, that question—whether human society is actually getting better—it's been rattling around in people's heads for centuries. And honestly? There's no clean answer. It's messy. You've got all this undeniable progress on one side, and then these stubborn, sometimes brand-new problems on the other. Really depends on where you look and what you care about. So to even try answering, you gotta dig into the numbers. Health, wealth, rights, the planet—all of it.
What does the data say about global living standards?
If you want the strongest case for things getting better, it's the data. The long-term stuff. Over the last couple hundred years, the average person's life has improved in ways our ancestors couldn't have imagined. It's not even close.
| Metric | 1800 | 1900 | 1950 | Today (est.) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Global Life Expectancy | ~29 years | ~32 years | ~46 years | ~73 years | Rapidly Improving |
| Extreme Poverty Rate | >80% | >70% | >50% | ~8% | Dramatically Decreasing |
| Literacy Rate | <20% | ~21% | ~55% | >86% | Steadily Improving |
| Child Mortality (under 5) | >40% | >30% | ~20% | ~3.7% | Dramatically Decreasing |
So what's driving all that? Technology, obviously. Science—medicine, agriculture. And the spread of democracy, global cooperation. People like Steven Pinker have made a big deal about violence dropping too. War deaths, homicides—way down over centuries. That's real progress. Hard to argue with.
What are the biggest failures of modern society?
But here's the thing. For all that big-picture improvement, there are some massive failures staring us in the face. The biggest one? The environment. Climate change, losing biodiversity left and right. It's the dark side of all that industrial progress we just celebrated.
And it doesn't stop there:
- Persistent Inequality: Sure, fewer people live in extreme poverty. But the gap between the haves and have-nots? Still huge. Progress hasn't been shared around evenly. Not even close.
- Erosion of Social Trust: In a lot of rich countries, nobody trusts the government anymore. Or the media. Or even science. It's like we're all holed up in our own little bubbles, getting more polarized by the day.
- New Forms of Risk: The internet gave us amazing stuff. But also mass surveillance, cyber attacks, fake news spreading like wildfire. And AI? That whole job displacement thing is getting real.
- Mental Health Crisis: Young people in wealthy countries? They're struggling. Anxiety, depression, loneliness—it's spiking. So all that material comfort doesn't automatically make you happy. Who knew?
How can we objectively measure societal progress?
You can't just look at GDP and call it a day. That's too narrow. To really figure out if society is improving, you need a bigger checklist. Something like:
- Health and Longevity: How long do people live? How many babies die? What diseases are still around?
- Material Wellbeing: Clean water? Enough food? A roof over your head? Electricity?
- Knowledge and Opportunity: Can people read? Do kids go to school? Are girls getting the same education as boys?
- Safety and Security: Is it safe to walk the streets? Are we at war? Is the government stable?
- Freedom and Rights: Can you speak your mind? Vote? Protest without getting arrested?
- Environmental Sustainability: How much carbon are we pumping out? Are species going extinct? Are we using up resources faster than the planet can handle?
- Social Connection: Do people trust each other? Are communities strong? Do you have friends you can count on?
When you look at it that way... mixed bag, right? We're killing it on the first four. Health, money, education, safety—huge wins. But the environment? Total disaster. And social trust? In a lot of places, it's crumbling.
What is the expert consensus on human progress?
Ask ten experts, get ten different answers. But there's a pretty strong camp among data-driven social scientists. They're cautiously optimistic. Guys like Max Roser from Our World in Data, or Steven Pinker. They look at the numbers and see that the last 200 years have been the best in human history by far. Progress isn't automatic, they say. It came from effort, reason, and good institutions.
"The world is getting better, but the news is getting worse. We have a duty to tell the story of progress, not to be complacent, but to understand what works so we can solve the problems that remain." — Max Roser
But then you've got other experts. Ecologists, sociologists. They're way more critical. Their argument? This whole model of progress is built on exploiting the planet. It's not sustainable. Progress for some people—today's people, rich people—has come at the expense of everyone else. Future generations. The global poor. Other species. So yeah, things have gotten better. But whether that keeps going depends entirely on whether we can solve these huge, global problems we created ourselves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the world becoming more peaceful?
Historically? Yes. Pinker's data shows violence has dropped a ton over the long run. But since around 2010, some kinds of conflict have ticked up a bit. And let's not forget—we still have enough nuclear weapons to end everything. So... fragile peace, maybe.
Are people happier today than in the past?
Complicated. People in rich countries say they're more satisfied with life than people in poor countries. But happiness hasn't gone up much in wealthy nations, even as they got richer. Social connections, mental health, inequality—those matter more than money once you have enough. There's no clear global trend.
Is technology making society better or worse?
Both. It's a double-edged sword. Amazing for medicine and communication. Terrible for privacy and mental health. And it creates risks—AI, bioweapons—that could go really wrong. The net effect? Depends on how we manage it. How we share the benefits and control the dangers.
Has globalization been good for society?
Pulled hundreds of millions out of poverty, especially in Asia. That's real. But it also killed jobs in some rich countries, made inequality worse, and helped spread problems like tax avoidance and pandemics. Benefits were real but not evenly distributed. Typical, right?
Breve Resumen
- Progreso Innegable: En términos de salud, pobreza, educación y, la sociedad humana ha mejorado drásticamente en los últimos dos siglos para la mayoría de las personas.
- Nuevos Desafíos: El progreso ha creado problemas globales sin precedentes, como el cambio climático, la desigualdad persistente y una crisis de salud mental en los países ricos.
- Medición Compleja: Para evaluar la mejora real, debemos usar una variedad de métricas que incluyan la sostenibilidad ambiental y el bienestar social, no solo el crecimiento económico.
- Futuro Contingente: La mejora no está garantizada. Depende de nuestra capacidad colectiva para resolver los problemas que hemos creado mediante la innovación, la cooperación y la buena gobernanza.