The Better Angels of Our Nature

By Steven Pinker

Categories: Health, Fitness & Dieting, Self-Help

It may not feel like it, but Steven Pinker argues that violence has been declining over the long course of human history, and that we may be living in the most peaceful era our species has known. He sets out to explain why, drawing on history and psychology to show how changing values have led people to reject violence as an acceptable way to settle conflicts. It's an ambitious and much-debated book.

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• Stewart Brand
• Penn Jillette
• Mark Zuckerberg
• Jack Kornfield
• Eric Schmidt
• Bill Gates
• Sam Harris: “He is also my friend and an occasional mentor. Steve's new book is The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined.”
• David Heinemeier Hansson: “Great reminder that for all that is terrible in modern societies, we've still made dramatic leaps over even the pretty recent past.”
• Jason Silva: “You have Steven Pinker, who wrote "The Better Angels of Our Nature" and his TED talk, "The Myth of Violence," that says that, contrary to what you see on the news, the chances of a man dying at the hands of another man are the lowest than they've ever been in history.”