It's About Learning

Is Everything Better Than We Think?: Bjorn Lomborg

Dwayne Harapnuik — April 28, 2021 — Leave a comment

This is a long-form discussion between Bjorn Lomborg and Jordon Peterson. If you enjoyed Steven Pinker’s book Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress or Hans Rosling book, Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think then you will really appreciate Lomborg and Peterson’s discussion about Lomborg’s newest book False Alarm: How Climate Change Panic Costs Us Trillions, Hurts the Poor, and Fails to Fix the Planet. Lomborg acknowledges that we do have a challenge with climate change but points to a variety of options of addressing these challenges in a much more productive and financially feasible manner.

So refreshing to hear reasonable climate options and suggestions rather than more alarmism or denial. I often refer to myself as a delusional optimist but when you refer to these authors and their research I may not be that overly optimistic. I still believe we live in the most amazing time to be a learner.

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How not to be ignorant about the world | Hans and Ola Rosling

Dwayne Harapnuik — December 23, 2020 — Leave a comment

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Progressive Optimist

Dwayne Harapnuik — August 21, 2014 — Leave a comment

Simon Sinek’s quote:

“The primary ingredient for progress is optimism. The unwavering belief that something can be better drives the human race forward.”

has made me change the way I view being optimistic. My wonderful wife reminds that not everyone appreciates my constant pursuit of the “better way” and that I often come across as a bit of a delusional optimist. As a result I don’t mind joking around and calling myself a delusional optimist because to many people my optimism may appear unrealistic.

But when I accept Sinek’s assertion that optimism is fundamental to progress then perhaps I am not delusional I am simply progressive. Progress does require that we push the boundaries of reality so being unrealistic is actually a necessity.

Fortunately, I am not alone in this type of thinking. George Bernard Shaw wrote:

“a reasonable man adapts himself to the conditions that surround him. The unreasonable man adapts conditions to himself…therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”

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