Reality Check: Global Progress Is Not Inevitable

The New Year ushers in a desire for optimism and a hunger for a fresh start. This past week, Nick Kristof argued in The New York Times that 2017 was the best year in human history, as global poverty, hunger and illness continued to plummet, while Bill Gates echoed those thoughts in a special “Optimist” issue of Time. 

Let’s get real.  2017 was not the best year ever.