In most years the world gets better. It seldom feels that way, admittedly, but that is human nature: we worry about the catastrophe in the news — the earthquake, war, famine or pandemic — and miss the gradual but relentless growth of production, technology and understanding. During recent decades, as charted by social scientists such as Hans Rosling, Max Roser and Steven Pinker, those forces have lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. By stopping to do a careful accounting, you can see the process in action, year by year.
大多数年份，世界都会变得更加美好。当然，应该承认的是，这很少符合人们的感受，但这就是人的天性：我们担心新闻报道中的灾难——地震、战争、饥荒或大流行病——而忽视了生产力、技术和知识的渐进但持续的发展。正如汉斯•罗斯林(Hans Rosling)、马克斯•罗瑟(Max Roser)和史蒂文•平克(Steven Pinker)等社会科学家所论述的，近几十年来，这些力量已经让数亿人摆脱了贫困。停下来仔细盘点一下，你就能看到年复一年的实际进程。