A few years ago, the Oxford physicist David Deutsch came up with a simple and beguiling theory, which he called the principle of optimism.
In his view, all knowledge that does not contradict the rules of physics is attainable through the application of science and reason. The only variable is how long it takes us to acquire it. “All evils are caused by lack of knowledge,” he added, making the case for the accelerated pursuit of scientific inquiry to create a better world.
That is certainly a hopeful thought in a dark time. But it may also be widely dismissed as a naive one. The current horrors of Ukraine and Gaza are not the result of a lack of scientific knowledge. Our collective failure to combat global warming more effectively is not due to a lack of technological capability so much as political will. Surveying the state of the modern world and the possibility of a third world war, many might conclude we are more likely to rerun the Dark Ages than the Enlightenment.