Bringing Fire argues that today’s cultural struggles are unfortunate but inevitable setbacks in a long journey towards becoming better people.

Recent events such as the storming of the U.S. Capitol, Brexit, and Donald Trump's election signal what looks like a radical rejection of progressive ideals. Bringing Fire makes the case, however, that this is a temporary setback in a long journey toward our becoming better people in a better world. Insights from the author’s field of psychology, as well as from cultural history, evolutionary biology, and economics, indicate that the tendency to move forward is hardwired into our DNA and has been supported by technological advances over centuries. As a result, we are in many ways more moral, effective, and reflective people than our ancestors, though times of regression inevitably occur along the way. This book concludes with predictions about where we and society are headed in the long term, as well as reasons to hope for an eventual return to progressive thinking and ways we can help foster that future.