borumi's review against another edition
4.0
3.5
Pinker tries to break apart our biased dispostion to look back and long for times gone by as the idyllic Eden of innocence in chapter 1 and see it plainly as what the title of the chapter suggests: a foreign country and a violent one. Then, through chapters 2-7, he goes over the six trends that took place in human history to retreat from that violent past: the Pacification Process (from prehistory to the first agricultural civilizations), the Civilizing Process (between the late Middle Ages and the 20th century), the Humanitarian Revolution (the Age of Reason and the European Enlightenment in the 17th and 18th centuries), the Long Peace (after the end of World War II), the New Peace (since the end of the Cold Wars in 1989), the Rights Revolution (the postwar era, from the late 1950s to the present day). After describing the phenomenon, he goes on to explore both the causes that drove human beings to violence in the first place and then work to repel that violent tendency to move toward this trend toward nonviolence. The causes for violence are mainly the five inner demons described in chapter 8 (predatory of instrumental violence, dominance, revenge, sadism and ideology) and the inner motives for nonviolence, the better angels in chapter 9 are empathy, self-control, the moral sense and the faculty of reason. Chapters 8 and 9 are steeped in academic literature from both neuroscience, sociology and psychology and I think Pinker excels at delivering these points. Then he goes on with the more exogenous historical forces that favor peace: the Leviathan, the gentle Commerce, cosmopolitanism, feminization and the escalator of reason.
Writers like Diamond, Pinker and Harari are very good at going over a vast volume of content and presenting a relatively relatable and interesting perspective from that overview to the lay readers. Both Diamond and Pinker have expertise in natural sciences whereas Harari is a historian and they all delve into areas outside their comfort zones. That does not necessarily disqualify them as authors as the borderlines between natural and social sciences and other academia are increasingly becoming intermingled and blurred. So I wouldn't discredit this work as being 'out of his league'.
However, despite his huge compilation of evidence backing up his message, the statistical analysis is sometimes questionable and lacks power or fidelity (which is, to be fair, understandable due to the majority of his subject of analysis being placed in times with little trustworthy record). Some of the proposed causes are guessworks based on correlation and I hope it would be backed up by further evidences in the future but Pinker has already acknowledged this. I also wonder at his overlooking world wars I and II as momentary 'bumps' in the decline.
Moreover, I'm more worried that his definition of 'violence' and utilitarianism is too restricted at times. Sure, the explicit physical violence might be declining, but what about the other more insinuous violence of the government and capitalism which drove down the personal violence but may be a major player in the other forms of violence and dominance in the world?
Also, his perspective of good is westernized, anthropocentric and somewhat complacent regarding the increasing violence the human species are imposing on the environment and other species. I'm not as worried that his theory might be wrong as I am wary of the author's upholding an overly westernized, libertarian view towards both the forms of government and commerce and 'the way the world should be'. Isn't he propounding another ideal ideological theory of his own which he warned against in the first place?
It would also be interesting to follow up on the author's outlook in the post-Brexit, post-Trump world. What does he think of the simplified, unsophisticated political discourse and increasingly protective trade and immigration barriers rising in the democratic and capitalist West?
Pinker tries to break apart our biased dispostion to look back and long for times gone by as the idyllic Eden of innocence in chapter 1 and see it plainly as what the title of the chapter suggests: a foreign country and a violent one. Then, through chapters 2-7, he goes over the six trends that took place in human history to retreat from that violent past: the Pacification Process (from prehistory to the first agricultural civilizations), the Civilizing Process (between the late Middle Ages and the 20th century), the Humanitarian Revolution (the Age of Reason and the European Enlightenment in the 17th and 18th centuries), the Long Peace (after the end of World War II), the New Peace (since the end of the Cold Wars in 1989), the Rights Revolution (the postwar era, from the late 1950s to the present day). After describing the phenomenon, he goes on to explore both the causes that drove human beings to violence in the first place and then work to repel that violent tendency to move toward this trend toward nonviolence. The causes for violence are mainly the five inner demons described in chapter 8 (predatory of instrumental violence, dominance, revenge, sadism and ideology) and the inner motives for nonviolence, the better angels in chapter 9 are empathy, self-control, the moral sense and the faculty of reason. Chapters 8 and 9 are steeped in academic literature from both neuroscience, sociology and psychology and I think Pinker excels at delivering these points. Then he goes on with the more exogenous historical forces that favor peace: the Leviathan, the gentle Commerce, cosmopolitanism, feminization and the escalator of reason.
Writers like Diamond, Pinker and Harari are very good at going over a vast volume of content and presenting a relatively relatable and interesting perspective from that overview to the lay readers. Both Diamond and Pinker have expertise in natural sciences whereas Harari is a historian and they all delve into areas outside their comfort zones. That does not necessarily disqualify them as authors as the borderlines between natural and social sciences and other academia are increasingly becoming intermingled and blurred. So I wouldn't discredit this work as being 'out of his league'.
However, despite his huge compilation of evidence backing up his message, the statistical analysis is sometimes questionable and lacks power or fidelity (which is, to be fair, understandable due to the majority of his subject of analysis being placed in times with little trustworthy record). Some of the proposed causes are guessworks based on correlation and I hope it would be backed up by further evidences in the future but Pinker has already acknowledged this. I also wonder at his overlooking world wars I and II as momentary 'bumps' in the decline.
Moreover, I'm more worried that his definition of 'violence' and utilitarianism is too restricted at times. Sure, the explicit physical violence might be declining, but what about the other more insinuous violence of the government and capitalism which drove down the personal violence but may be a major player in the other forms of violence and dominance in the world?
Also, his perspective of good is westernized, anthropocentric and somewhat complacent regarding the increasing violence the human species are imposing on the environment and other species. I'm not as worried that his theory might be wrong as I am wary of the author's upholding an overly westernized, libertarian view towards both the forms of government and commerce and 'the way the world should be'. Isn't he propounding another ideal ideological theory of his own which he warned against in the first place?
It would also be interesting to follow up on the author's outlook in the post-Brexit, post-Trump world. What does he think of the simplified, unsophisticated political discourse and increasingly protective trade and immigration barriers rising in the democratic and capitalist West?
adiatlas's review against another edition
4.0
What a Chimera is man! What a novelty, a monster, a chaos, a contradiction, a prodigy! Judge of all things, an imbecile worm; depository of truth, and sewer of error and doubt; the glory and refuse of the universe.
aelien's review against another edition
1.0
Author uses poor argumentation in order to impose extremely authoritarian ideology on readers. This manipulative reading lacks any scientific and enlightening aspect or depth whatsoever and shouldn’t be as popular as it is
marimoose's review against another edition
3.0
Not normally my type of read, but it was something lent to me by a school parent, and I figure I'll take a crack at some more non-fiction. This was an interesting treatise in any case, though, again, it's ultimately not my cup of tea.
maitrey_d's review against another edition
4.0
The Better Angels of Our Nature is Steven Pinker's attempt to articulate if violence among humans has indeed declined. I thought it would make a great read in this centenary of the Great War and provide a counter-point to all the doomsayers who relish in pointing out humankind's penchant for violence. Pinker's specialty is linguistics and psychology so it was odd to see him tackling something so steeped in history and politics.
I think Pinker did a commendable job. Although there is a whiff of selective bias throughout the book when he presents data and statistics, overall the book is very readable and makes some very good points.
Each of the chapters could make books in themselves. The earlier ones dealing with violence in pre-state societies sounds like the data is a little bit inflated to forcefully make Pinker's point. Undeniably, we know too little about these societies. But it is undeniable that homicide rate (which correlates with other crime rates according to Pinker) has gone down in the last five hundred years in the West where the data are pretty solid. Another chapter deals with the decline in behaviours such as slavery, torture, adulteress-stoning and even bloody pastimes not involving humans such as bear-bating and cat burning. Pinker credits both the growth of powerful states and national governments and the growth of Enlightenment Humanism for this astonishing turnaround.
The next few chapters are slightly controversial and deal with violence decline among states. Pinker states that the 20th Century has not been the bloodiest time in record (despite overall body count being the highest, as a percentage it was not the highest). Pinker then throws some stats around that show that after the bloodletting of the two world wars, wars between great powers has declined (actually nil) and hence there is an overall decrease in body-count. Another history chapter deals with the "New Peace", a phenomenon where other conflicts such as civil wars and deaths due to terrorism has also decreased. Some nightmare scenarios such as bio-warfare and nuclear terrorism are briefly discussed so Pinker is not dismissed as prattling fool. The last history chapter deals with the Rights Revolution and how feminism and rights for racial and sexual minorities, and even animals have played their own roles in the decline of violence.
The final two chapters deal with the psychology of violence. The first, as Pinker calls it about our inner demons (dominance, sadism etc.) and another with our better angels (empathy, reason etc.) I found some of the neuro-science to be hard going and too jargon-laden but the impacts and inferences to be clear and well written.
Overall the book was eye-opening and interesting to read. However I can't shake of the feeling that it could have perhaps been vastly condensed by removing many repetitions and restatements. Also, another book, even by a non-specialist but such a well respected and good writer cannot be a bad thing. The Better Angels of Our Nature is highly recommended to everybody.
I think Pinker did a commendable job. Although there is a whiff of selective bias throughout the book when he presents data and statistics, overall the book is very readable and makes some very good points.
Each of the chapters could make books in themselves. The earlier ones dealing with violence in pre-state societies sounds like the data is a little bit inflated to forcefully make Pinker's point. Undeniably, we know too little about these societies. But it is undeniable that homicide rate (which correlates with other crime rates according to Pinker) has gone down in the last five hundred years in the West where the data are pretty solid. Another chapter deals with the decline in behaviours such as slavery, torture, adulteress-stoning and even bloody pastimes not involving humans such as bear-bating and cat burning. Pinker credits both the growth of powerful states and national governments and the growth of Enlightenment Humanism for this astonishing turnaround.
The next few chapters are slightly controversial and deal with violence decline among states. Pinker states that the 20th Century has not been the bloodiest time in record (despite overall body count being the highest, as a percentage it was not the highest). Pinker then throws some stats around that show that after the bloodletting of the two world wars, wars between great powers has declined (actually nil) and hence there is an overall decrease in body-count. Another history chapter deals with the "New Peace", a phenomenon where other conflicts such as civil wars and deaths due to terrorism has also decreased. Some nightmare scenarios such as bio-warfare and nuclear terrorism are briefly discussed so Pinker is not dismissed as prattling fool. The last history chapter deals with the Rights Revolution and how feminism and rights for racial and sexual minorities, and even animals have played their own roles in the decline of violence.
The final two chapters deal with the psychology of violence. The first, as Pinker calls it about our inner demons (dominance, sadism etc.) and another with our better angels (empathy, reason etc.) I found some of the neuro-science to be hard going and too jargon-laden but the impacts and inferences to be clear and well written.
Overall the book was eye-opening and interesting to read. However I can't shake of the feeling that it could have perhaps been vastly condensed by removing many repetitions and restatements. Also, another book, even by a non-specialist but such a well respected and good writer cannot be a bad thing. The Better Angels of Our Nature is highly recommended to everybody.
briannadasilva's review against another edition
5.0
I think everyone involved in activism or politics (even to a minor extent) should be familiar with the concepts in this book; and if they have the time, they should read it themselves. Much of what you'll find in here goes against the common narratives or conventional wisdom you may have about the state of the world, and the state of humanity.
The surprising, and important truth is: Things are getting better. Violence, in all its forms, is in decline, and has been for a long time. This book presents the amazing case that this is true, then explores the question: Why?
It's good for us to acknowledge, and be grateful for, the incredible changes that have happened in the world. It puts our current problems in perspective, and makes the fight for a better world far more hopeful.
But at the same time, it's crucial that we recognize there is no natural "arc of history bending towards justice". Continuing down this path is not our inevitable future. There are distinct causes of this pacification, and if these forces change or lose their power, we can easily revert into the extreme violence and cruelty of our past. (Such situations already exist, on small scales, in various pockets of the world.)
What are those forces of pacification? The book describes and explains them in detail, but in a nutshell they are the following:
1. "The Leviathan" - Whenever law, or a stronger, bigger force steps into a community (whether that be government, policing, or alliances/agreements between state powers), violence decreases. In other words: Anarchy is bad, people. Sorry.
2. "Trade" - When two groups begin trading resources, the incentive to fight over those resources essentially disappears.
3. "Feminization" - Societies that create better situations for women consistently have less violence. Giving more power and autonomy to women, even in small ways, tilt the culture away from runaway masculine aggression. Also, cultures that foster what we feminists call "toxic masculinity" (though not the term Pinker uses, it's the same thing) are more violent.
4. "Expanding circles of empathy" - We evolved to care about people in our group, and to be apathetic to people outside our group. But the miracle of globalization is that what constitutes "our group" has been ever-increasing over the centuries. It began with novels, which allowed people to walk in the shoes of people very different from themselves, and continues today with the Internet, travel, and immigration. Our worldwide coldness towards "the other" is decreasing, because "the other" is becoming a smaller and smaller category.
5. "Increase in reason" - Religion is not a force for peace. Sorry, the weight of history disproves that quite easily. Though sometimes ideologies like religion do move people towards peace and compassion, they have also been, arguably, the sources of our worst violence and cruelty. On the other hand, as ideas like humanism and liberalism (not the "leftist" kind, mind you) have spread, and education has cultivated our worldwide ability to think abstractly and rationally, many of the ridiculous, ideological forces of violence in the past have become unthinkable to us.
(Note: #4 and #5 go hand in hand. If you have one without the other, you may not necessary see a decrease in violence. Strangely, even empathy can make us do terrible things - if it's a selective empathy, for instance - unless it is balanced with reason. And I don't think I need to explain how reason without empathy can be problematic.)
We must guard and cultivate these forces with everything we have. Literal lives - and our future prosperity - depend on it.
This book is, by all respects, a tome. But it's long because it's thorough in its research and evidence. If making the world a better place is something you care about, this should be a must-read. (At the very least, read a summarized version of it. ;D)
The surprising, and important truth is: Things are getting better. Violence, in all its forms, is in decline, and has been for a long time. This book presents the amazing case that this is true, then explores the question: Why?
It's good for us to acknowledge, and be grateful for, the incredible changes that have happened in the world. It puts our current problems in perspective, and makes the fight for a better world far more hopeful.
But at the same time, it's crucial that we recognize there is no natural "arc of history bending towards justice". Continuing down this path is not our inevitable future. There are distinct causes of this pacification, and if these forces change or lose their power, we can easily revert into the extreme violence and cruelty of our past. (Such situations already exist, on small scales, in various pockets of the world.)
What are those forces of pacification? The book describes and explains them in detail, but in a nutshell they are the following:
1. "The Leviathan" - Whenever law, or a stronger, bigger force steps into a community (whether that be government, policing, or alliances/agreements between state powers), violence decreases. In other words: Anarchy is bad, people. Sorry.
2. "Trade" - When two groups begin trading resources, the incentive to fight over those resources essentially disappears.
3. "Feminization" - Societies that create better situations for women consistently have less violence. Giving more power and autonomy to women, even in small ways, tilt the culture away from runaway masculine aggression. Also, cultures that foster what we feminists call "toxic masculinity" (though not the term Pinker uses, it's the same thing) are more violent.
4. "Expanding circles of empathy" - We evolved to care about people in our group, and to be apathetic to people outside our group. But the miracle of globalization is that what constitutes "our group" has been ever-increasing over the centuries. It began with novels, which allowed people to walk in the shoes of people very different from themselves, and continues today with the Internet, travel, and immigration. Our worldwide coldness towards "the other" is decreasing, because "the other" is becoming a smaller and smaller category.
5. "Increase in reason" - Religion is not a force for peace. Sorry, the weight of history disproves that quite easily. Though sometimes ideologies like religion do move people towards peace and compassion, they have also been, arguably, the sources of our worst violence and cruelty. On the other hand, as ideas like humanism and liberalism (not the "leftist" kind, mind you) have spread, and education has cultivated our worldwide ability to think abstractly and rationally, many of the ridiculous, ideological forces of violence in the past have become unthinkable to us.
(Note: #4 and #5 go hand in hand. If you have one without the other, you may not necessary see a decrease in violence. Strangely, even empathy can make us do terrible things - if it's a selective empathy, for instance - unless it is balanced with reason. And I don't think I need to explain how reason without empathy can be problematic.)
We must guard and cultivate these forces with everything we have. Literal lives - and our future prosperity - depend on it.
This book is, by all respects, a tome. But it's long because it's thorough in its research and evidence. If making the world a better place is something you care about, this should be a must-read. (At the very least, read a summarized version of it. ;D)
somniumviatordiem's review against another edition
slow-paced
4.0
Documentary covered all book subjects but the book is more in depth for those who are interested various case studies, great book!