HomeUploadUpload DirectHotlinkRandomAbouttheme toggle
Expand

Steven Pinker on The Decline of Violence & "The Better Angels of Our Nature"

Views:881
@ReasonVids

You are less likely to die a violent death today than at any other time in human history. In fact, violence has been on a steady decline for centuries now. That's the arresting claim made by Harvard University cognitive neuroscientist Steven Pinker in his new book, The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined.

Just a couple of centuries ago, violence was pervasive. Slavery was widespread; wife and child beating an acceptable practice; heretics and witches burned at the stake; pogroms and race riots common, and warfare nearly constant. Public hangings, bear-baiting, and even cat burning were popular forms of entertainment. By examining collections of ancient skeletons and scrutinizing current day tribal societies, anthropologists have found that people were nine times more likely to be killed in tribal warfare than to die of war and genocide in even the war-torn 20th century. The murder rate in medieval Europe was 30 times higher than today.

What happened? Human nature did not change, but our institutions did, encouraging people to restrain their natural tendencies toward violence. Over the course of more than 850 pages of data and analysis, Pinker identifies a series of institutional changes that have led to decreasing levels of life-threatening violence. The rise of states 5,000 years ago dramatically reduced tribal conflict. In recent centuries, the spread of courtly manners, literacy, commerce, and democracy have reduced violence even more. Polite behavior requires self-restraint; literacy encourages empathy; commerce switches encounters from zero-sum to positive-sum gains; and democracy restrains the excesses of government.

Pinker dropped by Reason's Washington, D.C., office to talk with Science Correspondent Ronald Bailey about ideology, empathy, and why you're much less likely to get knifed in the face these days.

Approximately 9.30 minutes.

Shot and edited by Jim Epstein; additional camera Joshua Swain.

Go to Reason.tv for downloadable versions, and subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube Channel to receive automatic updates when new material goes live.

steven
,
pinker
,
reason.tv
,
reason
,
foundation
,
magazine
,
ron
,
bailey
,
nature
,
violence
,
human
,
government
,
crime
,
life
,
death
,
die
,
health
,
care
,
decline
,
neurology
,
neuroscience
,
harvard
,
university
,
war
,
riots
,
race
,
democracy
,
liberty
,
freedom
,
commerce
,
free
,
market
,
interview
,
the
,
better
,
angels
,
of
,
our
    Thumbnail for How a Local Blog Broke the Kelly Thomas Story: A conversation with Friends for Fullerton's Future8:06
    How a Local Blog Broke the Kelly Thomas Story: A conversation with Friends for Fullerton's Future
    ReasonVids
    1027 views
    Thumbnail for Conspirologist spotted0:24
    Conspirologist spotted
    bestofupgoat
    5 views
    Thumbnail for pull your pants up bitch0:23
    pull your pants up bitch
    bestofupgoat
    445 views
    Thumbnail for It's been nice knowing you....2:09
    It's been nice knowing you....
    bestofvoatxyz
    529 views
    Thumbnail for Conscription to meat batallion0:37
    Conscription to meat batallion
    bestofupgoat
    430 views
    Thumbnail for Peter Schiff  - The Fed Unspun: The Other Side of the Story1:26:32
    Peter Schiff - The Fed Unspun: The Other Side of the Story
    ReasonVids
    765 views
    Thumbnail for How can I talk politics with my earnest lefty friends without them screaming at me?2:35
    How can I talk politics with my earnest lefty friends without them screaming at me?
    ReasonVids
    982 views
    Thumbnail for Fox News' Juan Williams on School Choice4:58
    Fox News' Juan Williams on School Choice
    ReasonVids
    850 views
    Thumbnail for I’m an Iraqi Refugee. U.S. Troops Should Leave.4:55
    I’m an Iraqi Refugee. U.S. Troops Should Leave.
    ReasonVids
    1074 views
    Thumbnail for Is California Over?3:07
    Is California Over?
    ReasonVids
    919 views
    Thumbnail for Gen Patton WW21:57
    Gen Patton WW2
    bestofupgoat
    125 views
    Thumbnail for John J. Miller on "The First Assassin": History, Poltics, & The Future of Publishing8:03
    John J. Miller on "The First Assassin": History, Poltics, & The Future of Publishing
    ReasonVids
    891 views
    Thumbnail for "You Can't Leave". Police in Shanghai drilling doors shut at a restaurant, so nobody can leave.0:41
    "You Can't Leave". Police in Shanghai drilling doors shut at a restaurant, so nobody can leave.
    publicfreakouts
    869 views
    Thumbnail for Town Wants to Take Family-Owned Store’s Land for Bogus “Park”3:00
    Town Wants to Take Family-Owned Store’s Land for Bogus “Park”
    IJvids
    908 views
    Thumbnail for Remember to practice your favorite knots once in a while1:47
    Remember to practice your favorite knots once in a while
    bestofupgoat
    10 views
    Thumbnail for Well well well, wasted eggs 0:18
    Well well well, wasted eggs
    bestofupgoat
    4 views
    Thumbnail for ESPN FIRST TAKE LIVE 04/23/2025 | GET UP LIVE | Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe debate sports | Knowledge 78626:41
    ESPN FIRST TAKE LIVE 04/23/2025 | GET UP LIVE | Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe debate sports | Knowledge 786
    invidious
    85 views
    Thumbnail for Who’s the Threat to American Democracy?10:20
    Who’s the Threat to American Democracy?
    AmericanRenaissance
    1590 views
    Thumbnail for National School Choice Week 2013 Kicks Off in Los Angeles2:59
    National School Choice Week 2013 Kicks Off in Los Angeles
    ReasonVids
    882 views
    Thumbnail for Laogai: The Tragic History of China's Secret Labor Camps3:59
    Laogai: The Tragic History of China's Secret Labor Camps
    ReasonVids
    829 views
    Thumbnail for Obama Gets Busted on Mythbusters!0:46
    Obama Gets Busted on Mythbusters!
    ReasonVids
    924 views
    Thumbnail for The Simpsons Larry Burns3:07
    The Simpsons Larry Burns
    clips
    901 views
    Thumbnail for Sneak Peek: SerpentZA's "Stay Awesome China" Unseen Footage! | Naomi Wu4:37
    Sneak Peek: SerpentZA's "Stay Awesome China" Unseen Footage! | Naomi Wu
    invidious
    382 views
    Thumbnail for Massive Clash in Jammu Kashmir Assembly over Article 370 LIVE: धारा 370 पर जम्मू-कश्मीर में बवाल! | ET Now Swadesh23:37:49
    Massive Clash in Jammu Kashmir Assembly over Article 370 LIVE: धारा 370 पर जम्मू-कश्मीर में बवाल! | ET Now Swadesh
    invidious
    130 views
    Thumbnail for Traoré Was Almost Kil*ed! Burkina Faso Soldiers Foil Coup Attempt | Black Culture Diary22:19
    Traoré Was Almost Kil*ed! Burkina Faso Soldiers Foil Coup Attempt | Black Culture Diary
    invidious
    71 views

points

Permalink
Reply
steven
,
pinker
,
reason.tv
,
reason
,
foundation
,
magazine
,
ron
,
bailey
,
nature
,
violence
,
human
,
government
,
crime
,
life
,
death
,
die
,
health
,
care
,
decline
,
neurology
,
neuroscience
,
harvard
,
university
,
war
,
riots
,
race
,
democracy
,
liberty
,
freedom
,
commerce
,
free
,
market
,
interview
,
the
,
better
,
angels
,
of
,
our
TOS  •  Add Keywords  •  Donate  •   Analytics  •   DMCA  •   Puzzle