What Midnight in Paris taught us about Nostalgia and Parenting

Introduction to Humane Education: Hope and Evidence-Based Optimism Assignment Brief:

Enlightenment Now offers an exploration of humanity’s progress since the Enlightenment toward greater reason, equality, and peacefulness. Pinker painstakingly points out that, overall, we are healthier and freer now than in previous eras. Create an activity or presentation or write an article/essay for any age group based on an aspect of Pinker's book that you believe makes the best case for evidence-based optimism and encourages hope.

Although there was much that I disagreed with in Steven Pinker’s book, I did agree with the notion that nostalgia can often hold us back from enjoying the here and now. I decided to use the film, Midnight in Paris, to look deeper at the connection between nostalgia and parenting. Was it really better to raise a family in the past?

​What I found out was that contrary to what we believe, there is evidence that things are getting better. Could this be a cause for optimism? I think so. 

​Below if the presentation that I did for my Introduction to Humane Education course. I hope you enjoy!