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The Better Angels of Our Nature: A History of Violence and Humanity

By: Publication details: United Kingdom; Penguin Books Ltd; 04 Oct 2012Description: 1056 Pages; PaperbackISBN:
  • 9780141034645
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 303.60
Summary: This title is shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize 2012. This acclaimed book by Steven Pinker, author of "The Language Instinct" and "The Blank Slate", argues that, 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.
Holdings
Item type Current library Call number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Book Adult and Young Adult 15-17 Karachi Psychology 303.60 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Checked out 08/03/2023 PKLC010198
Book Adult and Young Adult 15-17 Lahore Society and Politics 303.60 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Available PKLC013585
Total holds: 0

This title is shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize 2012. This acclaimed book by Steven Pinker, author of "The Language Instinct" and "The Blank Slate", argues that, 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.

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