As Bad As The News Is These Days, Our World Is Better Than It Was Even A Century Ago, Let Alone A Millennium

“The 20th century marked an inflection point – the beginning of humanity’s transition from its ancient crises of ignorance to its modern crises of invention. Our science is now so penetrating, our systems are so robust, that we are mostly endangered by our own creations. … Most people around you now do not want to kill you to get your phone, torture you until you profess their religion, or prey on your credulity until you join a racist gang. Some may – but not many.”