The Better Angels of Our Nature: The Decline of Violence In History And Its Causes Book

Steven Pinker's The Better Angels of Our Nature: The Decline of Violence in History and Its Causes is a riveting, myth-destroying book that reveals how, contrary to popular belief, humankind has become progressively less violent, over millenia and decades. Pinker shows violence within and between societies - both murder and warfare - really has declined from prehistory to today. Debunking both the idea of the 'noble savage' and an over-simplistic Hobbesian notion of a 'nasty, brutish and short' life, Pinker argues that modernity and its cultural institutions are actually making us better people. He ranges over everything from art to religion, international trade to individual table manners, and shows how life has changed across the centuries and around the world - not simply through the huge benefits of organized government, but also because of the extraordinary power of progressive ideas. This fascinating book was shortlisted for 2012's Samuel Johnson Prize.

Reveals how, contrary to popular belief, humankind has become progressively less violent, over millenia and decades. This title argues that modernity and its cultural institutions are actually making us better people. It shows how life has changed...