Existential Threat or Enlightenment Now: Is Steven Pinker Right About Trump?

• In Event: Presidential Panel: The Trump Aftermath: The Future of Criminology in a Divided Nation

Abstract

In Enlightenment Now, Steven Pinker argues that the core ideals of the Enlightenment have resulted in an empirically demonstrable arc of history bending in the direction of greater physical, social, economic, and political well-being. Recognizing the authoritarian-populist threat posed by Donald Trump, he suggests ways in which these effects might be contained—an outcome he sees as likely but not as certain. Focusing in particular on Trump’s use of “whiteness” as a conduit to incite political partisanship and create animus toward minorities that impact justice policy and practice, Pinker’s optimistic thesis is assessed. Despite the damage in need of repair, it is suggested that Trump’s presidency ultimately may prove an exceptional case that clarifies the significance of core democratic values and institutions. Pinker may be right!

Authors

• Francis T. Cullen, University of Cincinnati

• Teresa C. Kulig, University of Nebraska at Omaha