Thackeray, William Makepeace, 284
Thailand, 259, 336, 419, 457n8
Thatcher, Margaret, 110, 315
theism and theistic morality, 419, 420–22, 428–30
Argument from Design, 18, 421, 423
and consciousness, hard problem of, 423, 425–8, 488n43
deism vs., 8, 18, 22, 422
and existence of God, arguments against, 421–2
fundamental physical constants and, 423–5
God of the Gaps argument, 423–8
refutation of theistic morality, 428–30
wars motivated by, 10, 429–30
See also deism and deists; God; secularization
theoconservatism, 448–9
theocracy, 201, 206, 430
theodicy, 39, 423
Thermodynamics, Laws of, 15–16
See also Entropy, Law of
thick tails. See power-law distribution; rare events
Thiel, Peter, 329
Thomas, Dylan, 53
Thoreau, Henry David, 268
Three Mile Island accident (1979), 146, 148
Time magazine, 151
Timor-Leste, 203
Tocqueville, Alexis de, 165, 437
Togo, 272, 475n30
Tolstoy, Leo, 284
Tooby, John, 17, 359, 414, 477n20
Torrijos, Omar, 447
trade
benefits of, 13, 84, 162, 198–9, 228
Trump and international, 334–5
Tragedy of the Belief Commons. See identity-protective cognition
Tragedy of the Commons, 141
for beliefs, 358, 359, 376, 379
for carbon emissions, 141, 151, 153, 154
transgenic crops, 77–8, 331
transportation
agriculture and food supply and, 75, 77, 78
and human closeness, 257
plane travel, 257–8, 258
See also motor vehicles
travel/tourism, 258–9, 259, 338
treaties
Kellogg-Briand (Paris Peace) pact (1928), 163–4
New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), 317, 318
Non-Proliferation Treaty (1970), 316–17
nuclear weapons atmospheric testing ban, 133–4
ozone layer protection, 134
Paris climate agreement, 134, 152, 335, 449
sulfur emissions (acid rain prevention), 134
of Westphalia, 450
tribalism
deontological ethics and, 417
vs. Enlightenment ideals, 5, 10, 29, 32, 333, 334, 341, 447–51
human nature, as part of, 26, 393, 417, 419, 450
political, as source of irrationality, 355–63, 383
See also identity-protective cognition; populism; racism
Trump, Donald
age rolloff in support for, 341–2, 342
antidemocratic agenda of, 335–6, 337, 374, 449
antiprogress agenda of, 334–7
approval ratings of, 338
attempts to repeal Obamacare, 109, 334
dystopian vision of, xvii, 343
failures of, 109, 337–8, 451
on hackers, 300
and immigration, 97, 336, 339
institutional limits on power of, 337–8
intellectual influences, 343, 447–50, 491n118
Islamophobia and, 219
lies and conspiracy theories of, 336, 358, 375, 376
nuclear weapons and, 320
and Paris climate agreement, 134, 152, 335, 449
prejudice and hate crimes and, 217, 219
and Vladimir Putin, 335, 336
and will to power, 336
See also populism
—CAMPAIGN AND ELECTION AS PRESIDENT
economic vs. cultural factors in, 339–40
as Electoral College win, 214, 334, 340
Evangelical Christian support, 432–3, 438
intolerant rhetoric of, 215
“Make American Great Again,” 5, 334, 337
media role in, 50, 343, 376, 449
pollster predictions for, 367
popular vote loss of, 338
shrinking demographic base of, 219, 341–2, 342
voter turnout and, 343, 438
truth
vs. expressive performance, 359
institutions and norms of, 27, 374, 376, 380
Nietzsche and, 446
as not always halfway between extremes, 365
power of, 27, 338, 379, 383–4
vs. rationalization, 359
science vs. erudition as way to seek, 34, 390
vs. Trump, 336, 376
See also objective measurement; “post-truth era”; reason; relativism
Tsarnaev brothers, 303, 306
Tunisia, 203, 442
Tupy, Marian, 52, 141
Turkey, 201, 336, 436, 490n96
Tuskegee syphilis study, 401
Tutsi people, 161
Tversky, Amos, 41, 47, 383, 404
Twenge, Jean, 282, 283
Two Cultures, The (Snow), 33–4, 389. See also Second Culture
Übermensch, 443–5, 447. See also Nietzsche, Friedrich
Uganda, 160
Ukraine, 78, 158, 203, 313, 335
ul Haq, Mahbub, 245
Unabomber, 122
Union of Concerned Scientists, 308, 312
Unitarians, 412
United Kingdom
Brexit vote, 334, 340, 341–2, 342, 343
capital punishment abolition in, 209
carbon emissions per dollar of GDP, 143, 143
economic freedom in, 483n39
economic inequality in, 105–6, 106
emancipative values in, 225–7, 226, 227
escape from poverty and, 84–5, 85
Falkland Islands war, 315
GDP of, 85
happiness ranking of, 271, 475n30
life expectancy at birth, 58–9, 58
literacy in, 236
nuclear weapons and, 317, 317, 320
Optimism Gap and, 40
Peak Stuff, 135–6
populism and, 334, 338–9
secularization and, 436, 437
social spending in, 108, 483n39
and Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 419
woman as leader of, 214
women’s rights in, 222
See also England
United Nations
and capital punishment, 209
corporal punishment condemned by, 229–30
declaration on violence against women, 222
“extreme poverty” as defined by, 87
gender parity in education in, 239–40
HIV/AIDS epidemic, plan to end, 66
homicide reduction, goal for, 468n15
and homosexuality, decriminalization of, 223
Human Development Index, 245, 483n42
humanist ideals and, 411–12
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 234
Millennium Development Goals, 52, 89, 239–40, 457n31, 459–60n18
and outlawry of war, 163
peacekeeping forces of, 164
Population Fund, 222
Secretariat as “evidence-free zone,” 403
Security Council, 163
Sustainable Development Goals, 89, 468n15
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 207, 209, 411–12, 418–19
United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 162, 418
United States
accidental d
eaths in, 167
calories available per person, 70, 70
capital punishment in, 210–213, 211
carbon emissions of, 143, 143–4, 144
childhood stunting in, 71
child labor force in, 230–31, 231
Civil War, 174
climate/Paris agreement and, 134, 152, 335, 449
corporal punishment and, 230
cyber-sabotage and, 304
economic inequality in, 98, 103, 105–6, 106, 114–17, 461n4
education in, 236–9, 237–8
emancipative values in, 225–7, 226, 227
and escape from poverty, 85, 85
GDP of, 85
happiness, underachievement of, 271–4, 283–9, 288, 292, 439, 475nn30–31, 483n42
homicide rates in, 169, 170–71, 170–71, 172, 192, 467n11, 469n4
malaria in, 66
maternal mortality in, 57, 57
nuclear power and, 146, 147–8, 149–50
nuclear weapons of, 317–18, 318, 480nn113,117,121
Optimism Gap and, 40
poverty rate in, 115–17, 116
retirement in, 250–51, 250
Rights, Bill of, 411
social spending in, 107–8, 108, 109
and spending on necessities, 254–5, 254
suicide rates in, 278–80, 279
terrorism deaths in, 192–4, 192, 194, 469n10
and Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 419
and World War II, 196
universal basic income, 119
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 207, 209, 411–12, 418–19
university and college education
access to, expansion of, 220, 237–8, 238
critical thinking instruction, 377–9
general education requirement, 400–401
humanities instruction, 405–8
political leaders influencing, 347–9, 443
political science, leftist vs. quantitative, 405
politicization and, 372–5
science instruction, 34, 395–6, 400–402
See also academia; education; humanities
Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP), 158
urbanization
cultural contributions, 451
density of, as environmentally beneficial, 134
populism as decreasing with, 343
Urey, Harold, 308
utilitarianism, 415–17, 415–17. See also deontological ethics; happiness
Uzbekistan, 85, 86
vaccines
conspiracy theories about, 67, 334
for Ebola, 307
for HPV vs. hepatitis B, as politicized issue, 382
inventors of, 63–5
for smallpox, 65, 386
Trump and, 334
vacuum cleaners, 252
values
changes across age, period, and cohort, 224–5, 272–4, 275
and hierarchy of needs, 124, 224
See also emancipative values
Vatican City, 222
Venezuela, 91, 171, 172, 343, 467n12
Vico, Giambattista, 10
Vidal, Gore, 456n1
Vietnam, 85, 86, 90, 161, 206
Vietnam War, 50, 158, 160, 161, 193, 376
Vikings, romantic heroism and, 33, 398, 444
violence
against children, 229–30, 229, 232
decline of, objections to data showing, 44–7
evolution and, 25
vs. nonviolent resistance, success rates of, 405
pacifist’s dilemma of refraining from, 166, 414, 488n10
perceived as moral, 26
Romanticism’s embrace of, 30
social contracts against harms, 27–8
will to power and (Nietzsche), 33, 444, 445
See also genocide; terrorism and terrorists; violent crime; war; women: violence against
violent crime, 168–76
1960s boom, 169–70, 173–4
cognitive behavioral therapy and, 175
contraband and, 175
decline reducing support for death penalty, 212
decline since 1992, 170–71
decline with imposition of law, 168–9, 170
drugs and, 175–6
evidence-based approach to reducing, 176
focused deterrence and, 174
Great Depression of 1930s and decline in, 170
Hobbesian trap and, 173
homicide rates as reliable indicator of, 169
law enforcement as reducing, 168, 173–4, 176
legitimacy of authority and, 174
number of deaths due to, 167
opportunity reduction, 175
reductions via Compstat program, 380
rule of law and reductions in, 43, 168–70, 174
See also criminal punishment; hate crimes; homicide; rampage shootings; terrorism
volcanoes and supervolcanoes, 152, 187–8, 295
Voltaire, 13, 39, 84, 162, 223
von Mises, Ludwig, 13
Wagner, Richard, 398
Wagner’s Law, 109–110
Wallace, Alfred Russel, 18
Wallis, John, 83
Wall Street Journal, 333, 362
Walmart, 117
war
atheism and, 429–30
battle deaths (1946–2016), 159–60, 159
chemical weapons, 459n18, 479n95
commerce/trade as reducing, 162
deaths, vs. terrorism, homicide, accidents, 192
decline of, between great powers, 157–8, 157
decline of, between nation-states, 158, 164
decline of civil wars, 164
definition of, 466n6
democracy as reducing, 162–3
economic equality generated by, 106–7
famine and, 78
illegality of, 163–4
as inevitable vs. a solvable problem, 166
international norm against, 163
mistakes and rumors as cause of, 376, 484n77
preparation for, as decreasing, 162, 467n18
refugees/displaced persons, 160, 338, 466n12
religious wars, generally, 10, 429–30
romantic militarism, 165–6
terrorism as largely a phenomenon of, 193
See also civil wars; Cold War; genocide; Long Peace; nuclear war; peace; weapons; specific wars
washing machine, 251–2, 252
Washington, George, 13
water
chlorination of, 63, 64
desalination of, 129, 149
flooding and contamination of, 188
nanofiltration of, 331
running water in home, 251, 252
sewage, protection from, 63
See also waterways
Watergate, 50
waterways
environmental protection of, 140
improvements in cleanliness of, 130
removal of dams from, 149
See also oceans
Watson, James, 386
Watson, Paul, 122
Way, Lucan, 206
wealth, 79–96
as created, 25, 79, 80
history as written by the affluent, 79
“lump fallacy”/“physical fallacy,” 80, 99
and specialization, 12–13
Trump and, 334–5
See also developed countries/world; Gross World Product; poverty
weapons
banning of, 316, 479n95
bioweapons, 410
chemical weapons, 459n18, 479n95
voluntary nondevelopment of, 314, 316
voluntary scrapping of, 315–16, 317–19
See also nuclear weapons; war
Webb, Sidney and Beatrice, 400, 447
Weber, Max, 85
Weingast, Barry, 83
Weisskopf, Victor, 308
Weizenbaum, Joseph, 309
Well-Being Composite, 245–6, 246, 473n45
well-being, subjective, 262–89
distinguished from objective well-being, freedom, happiness, meaningfulness, 264–8
eudaemonia (“good spirit”), 267
freedom/autonomy and, 265–6
secularization and, 438–9, 490n87
self-evaluations of, 266–7
social spending and, 108, 110, 365, 483nn39,42
See also happiness; meaningful life; quality of life; social support vs. isolation; suicide
Wells, H. G., 400, 447
Welzel, Christian, 124, 224, 226–7, 228, 440
West, Cornel, 39–40
Western Europe
and democracies, rise of, 200–201
economic freedom compatible with taxation, social spending, and regulation, 365, 483nn39,42
education in, 236–7, 237
emancipative values in, 225–7, 226, 227
homicide rates in, 192–3, 192, 469n4
and Long Peace, 158
per capita income of, 86
secularization and, 436, 489n68
suicide rates in, 278–80, 279
terrorist deaths in, 192–3, 192, 194
vacation time in, 251
vehicle accident deaths in, 192–3, 192, 469n4
work hours in, 249–50, 249
Whitehead, Alfred North, 1
White, Matthew, 199, 429, 484n77
whites, anti-white hate crimes, 219, 220
white supremacy, Trump administration and, 336
Wieseltier, Leon, 390, 391, 408–9
Wilde, Oscar, 82
wilderness preserves. See conservation areas
Wilkinson, Richard, 100, 101
Williams, Bernard, 482n4
Wills, Garry, 456n1
will to power, 33, 296, 336, 444, 445
Wilson, E. O., 390
Wilson, Ward, 316
Wilson, Woodrow, 400
Winfrey, Oprah, 386, 434
Winship, Christopher, 174, 175–6
wisdom, as balancing conflicting desires, 414
Wodehouse, P. G., 446
Wolfers, Justin, 269, 270
Wolf, Martin, 459n16
Wolman, Abel, 64
women
anxiety and, 285
education of girls and, 235, 239–40, 239, 473n27
happiness and, 272
household labor, liberation from, 251–2, 252
industrialization and labor of, 93–4
and social media, 276–7
See also sex differences; sexism