Better Angels of Our Nature History of Violence and Humanity

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'Brilliant, mind-altering...Everyone should read this astonishing book' David Runciman, Guardian

Contrary to popular belief, humankind has become progressively less violent, over millenia and decades. Can violence really have declined? The images of conflict we see daily on our screens from around the world suggest this is an almost obscene claim to be making. Extraordinarily, however, Steven Pinker shows violence within and between societies - both murder and warfare - really has declined from prehistory to today. We are much less likely to die at someone else's hands than ever before. Even the horrific carnage of the last century, when compared to the dangers of pre-state societies, is part of this trend. Debunking both the idea of the 'noble savage' and an over-simplistic Hobbesian notion of a 'nasty, brutish and short' life, Steven Pinker argues that modernity and its cultural institutions are actually making us better people.

Book details and technical specifications

Format: Paperback / softback
ISBN13: 9780141034645
Published: October 2012

Number of pages: 1056
Width: 131 mm
Height: 198 mm
Depth: 45 mm

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd