The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined
Steven Pinker
Faced with an endless stream of news about wars, crime and terrorism, it is not hard to believe that we are living in the most terrible period in the history of mankind. But Steven Pinker shows in his amazing and compelling book that the opposite is actually true: As violence has been on the decline over the millennia, we are in all likelihood living in the most peaceful time in the history of our species. In the past, wars, slavery, infanticide, child abuse, murders, pogroms, mutilations, bloody clashes and acts of genocide were commonplace. But in our reality, Pinker shows (including with the help of more than a hundred charts and maps) that all these types of violence have significantly decreased and are increasingly condemned by society everywhere. How did it happen? In this groundbreaking work, Pinker explores the depths of human nature and, combining history with psychology, paints an amazing picture of a world that is increasingly eschewing violence. The author helps to understand our confused motives - inner demons that lead us to violence, and good angels that point the opposite way - and also to trace how changing living conditions helped our good angels to prevail. Debunking the fatalistic myths that violence is an integral part of human civilization and that the time we live in is cursed, this bold and touching book is sure to spark heated debate in the offices of politicians and scientists, and in the homes of ordinary readers, as it challenges and changes our view of society.
