Hawthorn Hill Journal by Richard deRosa

Mismanaging Human Integrity

In his book “Enlightenment Now,” Stephen Pinker offers an optimistic prognosis for humankind. Having read it some time ago, and having revisited it lately, I find myself wondering if there aren’t some compelling reasons to feel a bit gloomy, even depressed, about our prospects as a civilization. Civil is indeed the key work. As I sit here looking out my window every day, and after reading through what are considered credible news resources most mornings, one cannot help but be struck by the preponderance of incivility just about everywhere. Perhaps my thoughts at this moment are clouded by the dismal view from my study window. It would be nice to blame it on the weather, but that would be unfair to nature. Nature goes about its business each and every day despite the relentless harm we all too enthusiastically do to it—and, thereby, to ourselves. The refrain, “when will we ever learn, when will we ever learn,” comes to mind. Ironically, we have the formidable capacity to learn a great deal and to create amazing technologies that have the capacity to do so much good for so many. Yet, each time we invent something with enormously positive potential, we turn it into something inhumanely destructive.