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Is Life Getting Better?

I think this is one of the defining questions of our times. The answer may seem obvious, or the question so broad as to be meaningless. But there are good reasons why we should take it seriously.

Welcome To Richard Eckersley

This site provides free access to my writing for scientific journals, specialist magazines and popular media. My book, Well & Good, can also be downloaded free from the site.

My work explores questions such as:

How do we define and measure human progress and development?
What are the relationships between economic growth, a high quality of life and a healthy environment?
How is modern Western culture affecting our health and happiness?
Are young people taking the prize or paying the price of progress?
How do we see the future of humanity?

Well & Good

In the 1970s, I spent two years travelling overseas, through Africa, Western and
Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union and Asia. Like many long-term travellers, I found
that the most difficult cultural adjustment I had to make was on my return home....

My initial celebration of the material richness and comfort of the Western way of
life soon gave way to a growing apprehension about its emotional harshness, social
distances and spiritual desiccation.’

- From Well & Good, p. 43

Download E Book

Recent Media Articles

Indigenous cultures show other worlds are possible.

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We need a no-holds-barred attack on corporate power to meet global threats

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Ill health, perhaps especially mental ill health, is generally seen as a personal issue, requiring diagnosis and treatment. But at the population level, mental health problems have a profound message for our societies and their futures. We need to pay it more heed.

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Recent Scientific Papers

There are turbulent times ahead, and we can’t avoid global crisis. By this point, we should all know who’s to blame.

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The COVID pandemic has highlighted young people’s psychological vulnerability. This essay explores why being young is getting worse, why there is no quick fix, and what this means for society.

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How do we know what is true? To survive this crucial century, we need to solve the problem of truth. That may be our biggest single challenge.

READ /PAPER

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