Steven Pinker's Enlightenment Now argues that by almost every objective measure, humanity has made extraordinary progress over recent centuries, and that this progress stems from Enlightenment values: reason, science, humanism, and progress. Pinker, a cognitive psychologist at Harvard, marshals extensive data to show improvements in life expectancy, health, wealth, safety, peace, knowledge, and even happiness. He addresses the objection that our current moment feels uniquely dangerous by showing that previous generations faced worse threats and that our perception of crisis often reflects media attention rather than objective conditions. Pinker contends that we should embrace the Enlightenment project more fully rather than abandon it for romantic, religious, or tribalist alternatives. Critics have challenged his data, his interpretation of history, and his philosophical framework; some argue he ignores environmental limits, inequality, and the darker sides of progress. Pinker addresses some objections directly, though readers may find his optimism overstated. The book is characteristically Pinkerian: vast in scope, dense with data, and written in a conversational style that makes complex arguments accessible. Whether one agrees with his conclusions, Enlightenment Now forces engagement with fundamental questions about modernity and its alternatives.