The gospel according to St. Steven

I’m with Steven Pinker. The Harvard professor of psychology preaches “the gospel of human progress,” as the Chronicle of Higher Education put it. And he has taken heat for it, by people who refuse to believe the statistics Pinker presents – statistics documenting broad gains in life expectancy and declines in poverty and violence, worldwide.

In support of Pinker’s conclusion, I’d submit the example of America’s Upper Midwest. And I’d note the stories in this month’s Prairie Business that highlight the trend.

One such story describes the growing appeal to millennials of Fargo-Moorhead, Sioux Falls and the region’s other metros. Real estate is a big part of that appeal; as the story notes, our housing stock and first-time homebuyer programs make homeownership surprisingly realistic, even for some twentysomethings.

But as important are the metro areas’ huge gains in quality of life, including arts initiatives, new restaurants, downtown improvements and more. We’ve described those changes in these pages before – and you can count on us doing so again, because they’re such important contributors to the region’s prospects and health.

Another story notes big changes in an industry not known for its flexibility: higher education. A few years ago, an adult learner who wanted to change careers might have to stop working to pursue a new degree. These days, in contrast, certificate and other programs – many of them online – have made acquiring new skills and credentials easier than ever before.

Then there’s Concordia Language Villages, which attracts students from all 50 states to the Minnesota northwoods, summer after summer and year after year. OK, so studying Russian or Norwegian at America’s premier language and cultural immersion program may not boost life expectancy. But it sure can boost life satisfaction – and that counts, as Pinker likely would agree.

Good reading, Tom Dennis

I welcome your feedback and story ideas. Call me at 701-780-1276 or email me at tdennis@prairiebusinessmagazine.com.

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TOM DENNIS

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Prairie Business magazine is published monthly by the Grand Forks Herald and Forum Communications Company with offices at 375 2nd Avenue North, Grand Forks, ND 58203. Subscriptions are available free of charge. Back issue quantities are limited and subject to availability ($2/copy prepaid). The opinions of writers featured in Prairie Business are their own. Unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, artwork are encouraged but will not be returned without a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

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