Book SummaryThe Better Angels of Our Nature, by Steven Pinker

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of The Better Angels of Our Nature

In The Better Angels of Our Nature, Steven Pinker argues that violence has declined over time. He explores the historical trends and processes that have contributed to this decrease, as well as the underlying drivers that have fostered peace. Pinker is a cognitive psychologist, linguist, and popular science author. He is a professor at Harvard University and has written several books on...

The Better Angels of Our Nature Summary Processes Behind Decreasing Violence

In this section, we will discuss how violence has diminished throughout long periods. We will explore broad changes in pacification over time and focused movements that have contributed to contemporary peace.

Historical Trends of Violence

Pinker asserts that violence has decreased over time. This pattern can be seen across timelines from thousands of years to a single year, ranging from warfare to disciplining children with spanking. However, the decrease hasn't been linear, it hasn't eradicated violence, and it's not certain to persist.

(Shortform note: Pinker’s data only goes up to 2010, and since then, the world has seen a rise in organized violence. According to Therése Pettersson and Magnus Öberg, the number of battle-related deaths in organized violence increased from 2011 to 2019, peaking in 2014-2015 at the highest levels since the early post-Cold War years.)

We will examine the scope of declining violence, statistical patterns, and data considerations.

Scope of Declining Violence

Pinker notes that European homicide rates have significantly declined from medieval times to now. For example, in...

The Better Angels of Our Nature Summary Underlying Drivers of Pacification

We will explore how structural and institutional pacifiers, as well as cognitive and cultural shifts, have helped lower violence.

Structural & Institutional Pacifiers

Pinker claims that competent governments and global bodies have helped reduce civil wars. Countries are more susceptible to civil wars if they have many people, mountainous areas, governments that are recently formed or unsteady, major petroleum exports, and a high percentage of males who are young.

However, the frequency of civil war has declined as governments have become more effective at safeguarding and benefiting their citizens. Additionally, global society is now penalizing and ostracizing countries ruled by inept tyrants. Global peacekeeping forces have also helped reduce civil wars. Having peacekeepers present decreases the likelihood of returning to conflict by 80 percent. Peacekeepers can take action against those who violate a peace accord, oversee adherence to the agreement, and carry out daily policing tasks.

The Limits of Peacekeeping

While competent governments and global peacekeeping forces have helped reduce civil wars, they’re not always effective. In _[The Trouble with the...

Shortform Exercise: Gender Dynamics in Historical Crime Patterns

Explore how gender influences crime patterns, focusing on the historical data and societal views presented by Steven Pinker.

How does the statistic that 92 percent of murders are committed by men influence your understanding of historical crime patterns?