The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined
by:
Steven Pinker (author)
A provocative history of violence—from the New York Times bestselling author of The Stuff of Thought and The Blank SlateBelieve it or not, today we may be living in the most peaceful moment in our species' existence. In his gripping and controversial new work, New York Times bestselling author...
show more
A provocative history of violence—from the New York Times bestselling author of The Stuff of Thought and The Blank SlateBelieve it or not, today we may be living in the most peaceful moment in our species' existence. In his gripping and controversial new work, New York Times bestselling author Steven Pinker shows that despite the ceaseless news about war, crime, and terrorism, violence has actually been in decline over long stretches of history. Exploding myths about humankind's inherent violence and the curse of modernity, this ambitious book continues Pinker's exploration of the essence of human nature, mixing psychology and history to provide a remarkable picture of an increasingly enlightened world.
show less
Format: paperback
ISBN:
9780143122012 (0143122010)
ASIN: 143122010
Publish date: September 25th 2012
Publisher: Penguin
Pages no: 806
Edition language: English
Category:
Non Fiction,
History,
Science,
Mystery,
Politics,
Philosophy,
Sociology,
Crime,
Anthropology,
Psychology,
Social Science
I read Stephen Pinker books, including this one on violence. So it is why I know that jerk John Gray hasn't really read the book. Or read the book but didn't really read it. You couldn't browse through a book and pretended you comprehend it. Study (citation later) shows that browsing is just ski...
This was a very good book, but long and sometimes the statistics got tedious. I can understand why he seemed determined to provide inexhaustible evidence for something he knew his audience might have trouble believing, but it's very difficult to read through descriptions of dry study after study on...
If this is your first Steven Pinker book, then you are in for a treat. I have read several of his work and they all make me learned something new. As this is a long book. I would do it section by section. First section: Prefix This is more like an overview when Steven explains his intention of writi...
VIOLENCE HAS DECLINED, AND I WILL KICK THE LIVING SHIT OUT OF ANYONE WHO SAYS IT HASN'T Disappointingly, Pinker strikes a slightly less confrontational tone than that, but the basic idea is the same. His thesis is that violence of every kind, from international warfare down to murder and corporal pu...