#292
Mentioned in 51 episodes

The better angels of our nature

Why Violence Has Declined
Book • 2011
In this book, Steven Pinker presents a detailed argument that violence has significantly decreased over the course of human history.

He uses extensive data and statistical analysis to demonstrate this decline in various domains, including military conflict, homicide, genocide, torture, and the treatment of children, homosexuals, animals, and racial and ethnic minorities.

Pinker identifies four key human motivations – empathy, self-control, the moral sense, and reason – as the 'better angels' that have oriented humans away from violence and towards cooperation and altruism.

He also discusses historical forces such as the rise of the state (which he terms 'Leviathan'), the spread of commerce, the growth of feminist values, and the expansion of cosmopolitanism, which have contributed to this decline in violence.

Mentioned by

Mentioned in 51 episodes

Mentioned by
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Elizabeth Gilbert
as a book about the growing consciousness of humanity.
375 snips
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in relation to crime rates and their correlation with prayer in schools.
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Jonathan Haidt
in the context of discussing long-term historical trends and human adaptability.
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Matt Ridley
in relation to the reduction of violence in human societies.
130 snips
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David Brooks
, who more or less agrees with it, when saying that violence has been dropping and cruelty has been dropping.
107 snips
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Eric Schmidt
as a book he has gifted often, focusing on long-term trends in human violence.
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as one of the books frequently recommended in 'Tribe of Mentors'.
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Mentioned by
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Michael Hobbs
as a book discussing the decline of violence over the last 10,000 years.
59 snips
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as evidence that, by most metrics, we live in the best time to ever be alive.
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when discussing
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Michael Hobbs
in the context of discussing societal improvement and the impact of books.
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and
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Kasia de Lazari Radek
when discussing global peace and progress in modern times.
42 snips
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Joe Rogan
in relation to trends in violence and discrimination.
39 snips
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Bill Gates
as a book documenting progress in various areas of human life.
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Richard Dawkins
in the context of discussing the improvement of morality over time.
32 snips
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Steven Pinker
when discussing data on violence on historic scales.
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Rob Wiblin
in contrast to
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Bear Braumoeller
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28 snips
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in relatie tot de afname van geweld.
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Bill Gates
as a book documenting the progress of humanity.
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