Is 'An Answer To The Question: What Is Enlightenment?' Worth Reading?

Bright-eyed this morning, I dove into the crossword and the goddess-of-discord clue popped up like a little mythological wink. For a classic clue phrased that way, the common fill is ERIS — four letters, crisp and neat. I like the economy of it: three consonants and a vowel, easy to slot in if you already have a couple of crossings. If the pattern on your grid looks like R I S or E I S, that’s another nudge toward the same name. What I always enjoy about that entry is the little lore that comes with it. Eris is the Greek deity who tossed the golden apple that sparked the whole drama between the goddesses — a perfect bit of backstory to hum while you pencil in the letters. There's also the modern twist: a dwarf planet discovered in 2005 got the name 'Eris', and that astronomy tidbit sometimes sneaks into longer themed puzzles. If you're filling by hand, trust common crossings first but keep 'ERIS' in mind — it’s one of those crossword classics that appears often. I still get a kick seeing ancient myth and modern science share a four-letter slot in a daily grid; it makes finishing the puzzle feel like connecting tiny cultural dots, and I like that little bridge between eras.

If you’ve stared at a grid and the clue reads small salmon, my brain immediately flips to the juvenile term 'smolt'. I get a little thrill when a short, specific biology word shows up in a puzzle — it's the kind of tidy, nerdy nugget crossword constructors love. A smolt is the stage when a young freshwater salmon undergoes physiological changes to head out to sea; in puzzles it's the handy five-letter fill that fits a lot of crossings. I usually check the letter pattern first, and if the enumeration is (5) or the crossings point to S---T, 'smolt' locks in cleanly. That said, puzzles can be slippery and setters sometimes go for other options depending on length or tone. If the clue expects four letters, 'parr' is another juvenile form of salmon or trout, recognizable by the vertical bars or spots along its sides. You might also see species names like 'coho' or 'pink' clued simply as types of salmon, but those are species rather than size/age descriptors. Then there’s 'kelt', which refers to a spent salmon that has spawned and survived, so it’s the opposite lifecycle-wise but pops up in fishy puzzles too. Context matters: if the clue reads small salmon (4), think 'parr'; if it’s small salmon (5) or young salmon (5), 'smolt' is the usual suspect. I personally keep a tiny mental list of these terms because they repeat across themed puzzles, nature-themed crosswords, and British-style clues. When I’m solving on a commute and can't remember whether it was 'parr' or 'smolt', the crosses usually nudge me into the right wildlife term — and I always enjoy the little ecology lesson tucked into a Saturday puzzle. Seeing 'smolt' in a grid makes me smile; it’s compact, a bit obscure for casual solvers, and just specific enough to feel rewarding when it clicks.

For most puzzles I reach for the six-letter fill 'ELATED' as my go-to — it's the crossword workhorse for 'overjoyed'. If the grid gives you six squares, ELATED almost always fits the tone, the letters are common, and constructors love it. If the pattern suggests eight letters, 'ECSTATIC' is the natural leap: it carries a slightly bigger emotional boom and matches longer slots well. For a tight four-letter slot, I check whether 'RAPT' could be intended; it has that older, literary flavor and crops up in British-influenced clues. I also like to walk through the thought process aloud: scan the crossing letters first, then match the intensity. If the clue's surface hints at a very high degree — words like 'utterly' or 'simply' — lean toward 'ECSTATIC' or 'EUPHORIC'. If the clue feels casual or contemporary, 'THRILLED' (eight), 'GLEEFUL' (seven), or even the colloquial 'OVER THE MOON' (if the puzzle allows multiword entries) are possibilities. In quick daily puzzles you'll usually see ELATED or RAPT; in themers or themed Sunday grids, constructors might prefer the flashier ECSTATIC or EUPHORIC. I like picturing scenes from books when choosing fills — someone receiving a long-awaited letter in 'Pride and Prejudice' might be described as ELATED rather than ecstatic, which feels too modern. That little linguistic instinct helps me lock the right word. Personally, ELATED still gives me the most crossword joy when it clicks into place.

There are a handful of six-letter verbs that crossword setters reach for when the clue reads 'communicate', and I've learned to spot the likely candidates by tone and crossings. 'Convey' and 'inform' are the two that show up most often for me — 'convey' for getting an idea across and 'inform' when someone is being told something. 'Relate' tends to appear when the clue hints at telling a story or reporting. 'Signal' is the go-to if the clue implies nonverbal or coded communication. 'Impart' has that slightly formal, literary bent and often appears in clues about giving knowledge. I also keep 'notify', 'confer', and 'parley' in the back of my mind: 'notify' for formal notice, 'confer' or 'parley' when the clue leans toward discussion or negotiation. Crossings usually seal the deal, but thinking about whether the clue is formal, conversational, or physical helps me pick the right six-letter fit — it’s a tiny semantic dance that never gets old to me.

Short clues like that usually hinge on letter count and crossing letters, so I treat this like a little logic puzzle. If the grid wants a four-letter fill, my brain immediately jumps to judo or sumo. Judo is extremely common in crosswords because it’s short, internationally recognized, and fits cleanly; sumo also pops up when the clue leans toward traditional Japanese wrestling rather than the more modern martial arts. If the pattern allows more letters, I scan for karate, aikido, kendo, or one of the spellings of jujutsu/jujitsu. Crosswords sometimes prefer the simpler romanizations without hyphens, and sometimes the grid theme nudges you toward a specific spelling. So I usually pencil in judo first, then test crossing letters; if they force a different vowel pattern I switch to kendo or aikido. I love how a few crossings can lock in the right martial art and make the whole section click—it's oddly satisfying.

I still get excited thinking about the data-driven optimism in 'Enlightenment Now' — so here are the chapter summaries I keep coming back to, written like little postcards from the book. Prologue & Foundations: Pinker sets the stage by arguing that reason, science, humanism, and progress are not just ideals but practical tools. He explains what he means by progress and why we should measure it empirically rather than rely on gut feelings or anecdotes. Health, Life, and Safety: These chapters track how mortality, disease, and violence have fallen across centuries. He uses graphs and statistics to show how child mortality, life expectancy, and everyday safety have improved dramatically, and why those trends matter more than doom-laden headlines. Wealth, Comfort, and the Good Life: Here Pinker charts economic growth, literacy, and access to goods and services. He points out that material improvements underpin gains in autonomy and opportunity for millions. Reason, Science, and Humanism: The later chapters celebrate scientific method and secular ethics as engines of improvement. Pinker warns about cognitive biases and ideological blind spots that can make people pessimistic or hostile to progress. Criticism & Cautions: He addresses common rebuttals — inequality, environmental damage, and new risks — offering data and counterarguments while acknowledging real challenges. The final notes argue for measured optimism: celebrate progress without complacency. Those are the slices I find most useful when recommending the book; they ride the line between an upbeat checklist and a sober toolkit, and they always make me feel a little more hopeful.

Most fans who follow the channel closely know that the family doesn’t hide their kids completely, but they also don’t have a habit of plastering exact ages in every upload. I’ve noticed that FGTEEV will sometimes celebrate birthdays or mention a kid’s age in a vlog or a community post, which gives viewers the info indirectly. If you watch birthday vlogs, older Q&A videos, or the community tab posts around April–June (they’ve referenced birthdays in the past), you can usually piece together how old Chase is at a given moment. The content is casual and family-oriented, so the references are usually offhand — like “Chase just turned X!” — rather than a formal announcement. If you want a quick confirmation, fansites and wiki pages often compile those on a timeline, because the channel itself moves fast and the kids grow up on camera. That’s where fans verify dates mentioned across videos and social posts. One thing I appreciate is that the family strikes a balance: they let fans feel connected through birthdays and milestones but don’t turn every detail into tabloid fodder. Personally, I like spotting the little birthday easter eggs in their uploads; they make the channel feel like a living scrapbook.

I've spent more time than I'm proud to admit scrolling through creator profiles, and here's the deal: social pages can sometimes tell you exactly how old 'FGTeeV' Chase is today, but they're hit-or-miss and require a little detective work. Start with the obvious places — the family's YouTube channel posts, Instagram captions, TikTok birthday clips, and pinned tweets. Creators often celebrate birthdays with cakes, party clips, or title cards that say "Happy 10th" or similar; those give you a direct number you can subtract from the post date. Also check the channel's 'About' section, press releases, or interviews where a parent might casually mention an age or birth year. But beware: fan accounts and impersonators crop up all the time, and bios can be outdated. I always cross-reference at least two official-looking sources before trusting a number. If you can't find a clear birthday post, look for indirect clues — school milestones, grade-level mentions, or comments from family members saying things like "our little guy started kindergarten." Time stamps matter: a 2018 post that says "he's six" means something different now, so do the math carefully. For removed or old posts, the Wayback Machine or archived screenshots sometimes help, though that's a deeper dive. Bottom line, yes — social profiles can often get you the info, but you need caution, cross-checking, and respect for privacy. I tend to double-check anything involving kids, and that mix of curiosity and care has kept me from spreading misinformation.