
It is common, particularly in conservative circles, to hear that the world is becoming worse. However, the evidence indicates that the world is not going to hell. To the contrary, the world is becoming a better place: less violent, less poor and longer lived, and better educated. Sometimes when discussing these trends, I get pushback. Some things really are getting worse, I'm told. Almost always the examples given to me are related to sexuality, yet even there the data says otherwise.