A Spectator Christmas poll: What gives you hope?

Volodymyr Zelensky

I am inspired by the Ukrainian people – a courageous, creative and strong people who united in one moment against the brutal and unjust Russian aggression. All Ukrainians today are warriors – those on the front line, volunteers, journalists, IT specialists, doctors, teachers, absolutely everyone. These are strong and courageous people who are fighting for their homeland, their country and their lives. And nothing can break them. Not bombs, not rocket strikes, not the lack of electricity, water and heat in their homes, nor other types of Russian terror. This nation delights and inspires me and gives me confidence in the victory of Ukraine.

Richard Dawkins

Science gives me hope. It’s almost too obvious, but it needs saying. Yes, the problems we face are dire, but science has form when it comes to solving problems. Anaesthetics solved the problem of unbearable pain, antibiotics solved the bacteria problem, vaccination stops most viruses in their tracks, scientific agriculture promises hope against starvation. Sadly, science may provide the remedy but the political will to implement it remains the bigger problem. It’s all very well pointing to the miracle of vaccines, but then there’s the political problem of the irrational anti-vaxxers. Science may know how to deal with the long-term menace of climate change, but that’s the easy part; how do we counter short-term greed? But let’s be optimistic. Our species has measured the distance between mirrors to an accuracy of less than the width of a proton, and so detected ripples in the very fabric of space-time. Homo sapiens has earned its Linnaean binomial by pinpoint navigation to a comet, by shifting the orbit of a distant asteroid, by deciphering the triplet code of DNA. If ever a species could beat the odds, it is Homo scientificus.