Books For Your Mind: The Better Angels of our Nature by Steven Pinker

Friday, January 3, 2020

The Better Angels of our Nature by Steven Pinker

In The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined, Steven Pinker takes an exhaustive look at the factors that contribute to the level of violence in human and closely related animal cultures.

He provides evidence that violence per capita has decreased from the paleolithic (hunter gatherer) culture to the present time. Many factors enter into this equation. Having a leviathan or large societal structural control will usually reduce the level of violence as a percentage of the population by pacification.

This is not a permanent state and society will devolve as in the Middle Ages after the fall of the Roman Empire or in countries where the central government no longer functions well (Libya, Syria, Afghanistan etc.)

The optimistic scenarios about the noble peaceful savage have largely been disproved. The tribal behavior by humans is similar to the behavior of chimpanzees and not does not track to the slightly less violent bonobos who are very peaceful when well fed in captivity but less so in the wild where there is competition for resources. Chimpanzees and tribal cultures kill when they have the advantage. They will kill lone non tribal members if the likelihood of success is great with a ratio of three attackers to one victim. Killing early in the morning when others at sleep is also a successful strategy.

The printing press proved to be a positive vehicle for building empathy in other people. This was associated with a reduction in acts of public cruelty for entertainment. Human life became more valuable and the painful acts of torture developed during the Spanish Inquisition became unacceptable. Empathy is not enough to reduce violence.

It also needs compassion and self control and a willingness to not follow along with the crowd. People often are more candid in private written assessments than in public forums in front of groups. This has implications for obtaining honest feedback about self-assessment.

This is a very difficult, well researched, and important subject matter. Readers can take this information and help foster an environment where violence continues to be reduced.