The Better Angels of Our Nature

Why Violence Has Declined

By: Steven Pinker

Narrated by: Arthur Morey

Length: 36 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

“If I could give each of you a graduation present, it would be this - the most inspiring book I've ever read." - Bill Gates (May, 2017)

Selected by The New York Times Book Review as a Notable Book of the Year

The author of Enlightenment Now and The New York Times bestseller The Stuff of Thought offers a controversial history of violence.

Faced with the ceaseless stream of news about war, crime, and terrorism, one could easily think we live in the most violent age ever seen. Yet as New York Times bestselling author Steven Pinker shows in this startling and engaging new work, just the opposite is true: violence has been diminishing for millennia and we may be living in the most peaceful time in our species's existence. For most of history, war, slavery, infanticide, child abuse, assassinations, programs, gruesome punishments, deadly quarrels, and genocide were ordinary features of life. But today, Pinker shows (with the help of more than a hundred graphs and maps) all these forms of violence have dwindled and are widely condemned. How has this happened?

This groundbreaking book continues Pinker's exploration of the essence of human nature, mixing psychology and history to provide a remarkable picture of an increasingly nonviolent world. The key, he explains, is to understand our intrinsic motives - the inner demons that incline us toward violence and the better angels that steer us away - and how changing circumstances have allowed our better angels to prevail. Exploding fatalist myths about humankind's inherent violence and the curse of modernity, this ambitious and provocative book is sure to be hotly debated in living rooms and the Pentagon alike, and will challenge and change the way we think about our society.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2011 by Steven Pinker. (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

great then okay then great again

Great read. A bit too "academic" at times, numbers/statistics aren't easy to follow in an audio book in general, but that's only an issue in the middle chapters. It shifts to psychology towards the end. The final two chapters provide an excellent recap of the entire book and connect all thoughs into a nice summary.

Best book of the decade!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, it is far too long.

Any additional comments?

This is my candidate for the best book of the decade. It has a challenging premise that is fully documented with facts and data. I could not believe that a book of such detail, and scientific data could be so gripping in the audio format. I have quoted from the book over and over. I bought a print copy so I could get the charts and footnotes. I loved it!

Absolutely loved it

It is a truly a monumental book. So much fascinating research and interesting information. Probably the best book I have ever listened to.

Great stuff, just too long.

Pinker is a great author, and this was well performed. It seems also to be his longest book by far. My interest started to peter out after about 20 hours. I will return to it in due course.

Be grateful

It is dense at times but the message is clear. We have come a long way and will continue to move forward.

Thorough but not overdone

Justifies the thesis with the right amount of rigor. Maybe thin in some spots but I prefer that to the opposite.

great audiobook

this book was wonderful and a great way to expand thought. Amazing audio narrative. Must listen!

I cannot think of a more important book

Would you listen to The Better Angels of Our Nature again? Why?

In the coming years I will listen to this book again, and probably again after that, because it has so much to take in.

interesting and rich but time seems to invalidate

rich in stories albeit sometimes verging on voyeur goriness, interestingly structured. however the Ukrayne war and emerging global demographics seems to prove its main premise wrong

A Thorough Study and an Enjoyable Listen

Arthur Morey does an excellent job with the narration. I found his voice engaging during the entirety of the almost 37 hours of this audiobook.

As one would hope for a book this lengthy, Steven Pinker doesn't waste your time. After a brief introduction, the book takes off into a systematic and thoroughgoing analysis of just about all the data one could ask for on this topic. He gives the numbers, the studies, etc. and explains them at every step of the way. He goes into quite a bit of history, biology, neuroscience, politics, law, and several other subjects relevant to the topic which were a pleasure to learn about for their own sake. I found that Pinker even anticipated nearly every question I had, usually only a few sentences after it popped into my mind. I don't think one could ask for a better book the subject.

Steven Pinker writes near the end of the book, "...and I hope that the numbers I have marshaled have lifted your assessment of the state of the world from the lugubrious conventional wisdom." I can say that this has been the effect on me.