Imagine you had the chance to be reborn at any time in human history. What would you choose?

There are plenty of sights that it would be a delight to experience first-hand. The first time our ancestors grabbed a tool. The moment pen was put to paper. Civilisation’s dawn, and the flourishing that followed. You might choose to watch Michaelangelo add the final daubs of paint to the Sistine Chapel, or cram into a 16th-Century theatre to watch a Shakespeare opening night.

However, living to see these momentary highlights would also bring myriad downsides. If you got ill, your medical care might involve leeches and trepanning. A violent death would always feel near. And the probability would be that you would be poor and hungry for most of your life. For the majority of people throughout history, life was hard, short and at times, brutal.

If you had the chance to be reborn, one of the smarter, more prudent choices would be today; right now. At times, it can feel like 2016 has been a bad year, with global terrorism flaring, refugee crises, climate change and race-related shootings to name a few of the gloomier headlines. There is no doubt that our species is far from nailing the task of becoming a prosperous, harmonious civilisation.