The Enlightenment Project

If science, democracy and free markets are the way to change the world for the better, David Levine argues in a piece in the San Francisco Chronicle Insight, it's not going to happen automatically. We must pay attention to the poverty that belies this potential, and seems to support the message and the desperation of terrorists.

Although some extremists will always find reasons to oppose U.S. policies, they will remain isolated as long as most citizens of the world see that prosperous nations are working to make the world a better place. It is a challenge for prosperous nations to ensure that science and capitalism consistently improve the lives of billions of the globe's poor. Tragically, the terrorists who see the "enlightenment project" doing little to help most of the world often have a point. That is, for roughly half the world, several centuries' progress in the sciences and the reach of free markets have brought neither a consistent improvement in the quality of life nor the promise of a better life for their children.

The solution to many of the world's most persistent and tragic problems resulting from poverty are neither difficult nor expensive. Many have said this before, but Levine has a simple argument that may resonate with many people. Give this essay a look.