“Faced with the ceaseless stream of news about
war, crime, and terrorism, one could easily think we live in the most violent
age ever seen. Yet as New York Times bestselling author Steven Pinker shows in
this startling and engaging new work, just the opposite is true: violence has
been diminishing for millennia and we may be living in the most peaceful time
in our species's existence. For most of history, war, slavery, infanticide,
child abuse, assassinations, pogroms, gruesome punishments, deadly quarrels,
and genocide were ordinary features of life. But today, Pinker shows (with the
help of more than a hundred graphs and maps) all these forms of violence have
dwindled and are widely condemned. How has this happened? This groundbreaking
book continues Pinker's exploration of the essence of human nature, mixing
psychology and history to provide a remarkable picture of an increasingly
nonviolent world. The key, he explains, is to understand our intrinsic motives-
the inner demons that incline us toward violence and the better angels that
steer us away-and how changing circumstances have allowed our better angels to
prevail. Exploding fatalist myths about humankind's inherent violence and the curse
of modernity, this ambitious and provocative book is sure to be hotly debated
in living rooms and the Pentagon alike, and will challenge and change the way
we think about our society.”
