Look at it like this: after literally decades of immanent destruction, dissolution or descent into one kind of abyss or other, people today are healthier, happier, wealthier, and live longer (how can I justify ‘happier’? Because up to a point higher incomes causes a rise in happiness and contentment – and hundreds of millions of people in the developing world are experiencing rising incomes, far more than the over-privileged of California, or wherever).

So after numerous examples of the world getting generally better for most people, why is pessimism the default position? Because the theories put forward all assume to a greater or lesser extent that people are largely ‘static’ and don’t react, don’t agitate, don’t push for a better world not just for themselves but for everyone (by, say, writing a book warning of the dangers of technology . . .)