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.

Would get 5 stars if read by author

I gave this 4 stars overall just because the author doesn't read this book. Granted, Arthur Morey does a great job and this book represents a 36 hour commitment. Pinker makes a convincing case that violence is reduced in our current world compared to previous times. This isn't just about the crime drop of the 1990's but that's part of it. The strongest comparisons are the ones between the 20th century and the 16th century. But you can imagine some reductions in violence: the end of slavery; women's rights; better treatment of aboriginal peoples. But look at how long humanity has had the hydrogen bomb and never used it in anger. Even terrorism can be seen as a drop in violence because the number of people actually attacked is low compared to wars.
The author doesn't go into why violence is less today until he gets to the last part of the book. There he makes some claims and backs it up with evidence from recent psychological studies. This doesn't completely prove his thesis but I think it would be hard to debate the opposite: that violence is increasing. Even though I bet a politician today would get more votes for saying so.

A convincing look at humanity's social evolution

Where does The Better Angels of Our Nature rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This a powerfully fascinating book where Pinker shows, with very thorough evidence, that human nature has changed for the better over the centuries. In short, Pinker will prove to you how we have, if still incompletely depending on culture and region, become more peaceful, just and civilization after a fashion. In that, the author gives a detailed look at the history of violence in society that will make you blanch at the bloody antics done by our ancestors and the psychological research trying to explain it. Just hear the reader read out how medieval people found

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was heartened for at least one element of the human race, even while I wanted to give those sadists in the past a taste of their own medicine.

Hidden biased making self evident conclusion

Pinker spends 800 pages (with tiny letters, scholarly) making a self-evident case for the reduction of what HE calls "violence". Yes, everybody should agree that, amongst other things, the State and cultural advancements (the printing press etc) societies drew back from aggression (against each other, children, animals, woman, gay, blacks...).

BUT that doesn't mean we experience something that Pinker is incapable of conceptualizing: the underlying violent struct that sustains our non-violent lives. A quick example would be how the laws and the way airport security has the power to subject us in the way to prevent a terrorist attack. Or let's say how slavery ended, but the imprisonment system has boomed as a direct correlation.

Apart from his own bias as a hardcore Liberal (and he doesn't acknowledge this, rather calling himself as a rational), Steven Pinker fills the gap between premise and conclusion with hysterical anti-communism.

The book does a good job of compiling evidence and connecting disparate facts. This book is a discussion catalyzer (especially if your book club consists of liberals and socialist/communists), so enjoy it but be ready to get angry (and linguistically violent) at him!

Masterpiece

This book was quite an undertaking in length , but well worth the time spent . This is an absolute masterpiece, and one of the most thoughtful and thorough pieces of literature I have ever read . I recommend this to all avid readers .

Not an easy listen, but worth the effort.

The title clearly summarizes what the book is about. The science was the most interesting part of the book. The statistical analysis of wars, the difference in perspective between victims and perpetrators, the explanation of reduction in violence using the framework of the pacifist's dilemma etc. were very interesting. The historical narrative was hard to listen to because it is hard to come to terms with the violence that is a part of our past. I am glad that violence is coming down, but wish it would decline more rapidly. I hope listeners will better understand how to alter payoffs in order to create conditions that favor peace and do what they can, after listening to this book. Understanding, reason, enlightened thinking and empathy will hopefully reduce unnecessary suffering faster in the future.
The narration was very good making it easier to finish this long book.

So much info

What did you love best about The Better Angels of Our Nature?

So much info, so interesting.

Any additional comments?

His depth is great. Though I'm not interested in psychology (chapter 9 or something focuses on this), the amount of novel and non-intuitive info he presents make it worth listening to.

Excellent !!!

If you could sum up The Better Angels of Our Nature in three words, what would they be?

Fascinating, engaging, thought provoking, and hopeful book. Impressively researched. Intriguing thesis well presented and supported. A masterpiece!!

Who was your favorite character and why?

NA -- this is not a novel.

Which character – as performed by Arthur Morey – was your favorite?

Morey's narration is excellent. His pacing and phrasing tie in perfectly with the subject matter. It felt like the author was speaking to me directly.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

Pinker constructs a careful and thorough analysis of the trajectory of human violence and demonstrates conclusively how and why it has decreased.

Any additional comments?

Buy it !!

Exceptional, optimistic, and an eye-opener

Science-based, puts our contemporary violence in perspective to our bloody past. I did not think that I will learn much from this book, but was exited to find that I was wrong.

A book for bringing optimism

this book is both factual and well written. this is the kind of book anyone can read and it is informative. It may be lonng, but its worth it.

Some books don't do well on Audible

This is an important timely book. That being said, it is loaded with statistics. Great for reading but when read to you, gets a bit mind-numbing. So, I would heartily recommend this book but beware, the listen is a slog. I would have reviewed the performance higher, he read it just fine. Again, the statistics were not a great fit....