The Better Angels of Our Nature: The Decline of Violence In History And Its Causes

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Penguin Books Limited, Oct 6, 2011 - History - 1056 pages
40 Reviews

'The most inspiring book I've ever read' Bill Gates, 2017

'A brilliant, mind-altering book ... Everyone should read this astonishing book' Guardian

'Will change the way you see the world' Daily Mail

Shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize 2012

Wasn't the twentieth century the most violent in history? In his extraordinary, epic book Steven Pinker shows us that this is wrong, telling the story of humanity in a completely new and unfamiliar way. From why cities make us safer to how books bring about peace, Pinker weaves together history, philosophy and science to examine why we are less likely to die at another's hand than ever before, how it happened and what it tells us about our very natures.

'May prove to be one of the great books of our time ... he writes like an angel' Economist

'Masterly, a supremely important book ... For anyone interested in human nature, it is engrossing' The New York Times

'Marvellous ... riveting and myth-destroying' New Statesman

'A marvellous synthesis of science, history and storytelling, written in Pinker's distinctively entertaining and clear personal style ... I was astonished by the extent to which violence has declined in every shape, form and scale' Financial Times

'An outstandingly fruitful read, with fascinating nuggets on almost every page' Sunday Times, Books of the Year

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LibraryThing Review

User Review  - smbass - LibraryThing

Excellent book. But somewhat long. At times it seemed like he wanted to bludgeon us with more and more data to prove his point. By the end I was finding it a little redundant and looking forward to the end. But overall, a book I learned a lot from. Read full review

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - etxgardener - LibraryThing

Ever the optimist, psychologist Steven Pinker posits that the world is getting better, not worse in this very long (almost 900pages) book He is certainly correct in that we no longer burn witches at ... Read full review

Other editions - View all

The Better Angels of Our Nature: The Decline of Violence in History and Its ...
Steven Pinker
No preview available - 2011
The Better Angels of Our Nature: A History of Violence and Humanity
Steven Pinker
No preview available - 2012
The Better Angels of Our Nature: The Decline of Violence in History and Its ...
Steven Pinker
No preview available - 2011

About the author (2011)

Steven Pinker is one of the world's most influential thinkers and writers on the human condition. His popular and highly praised books include The Better Angels of Our Nature, The Sense of Style, The Stuff of Thought, The Blank Slate, How the Mind Works, and The Language Instinct. The recipient of several major awards for his teaching, books, and scientific research, Pinker is Harvard College Professor and Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. He also writes frequently for The New York Times, the Guardian and other publications. He has been named Humanist of the Year, Prospect magazine's "The World's Top 100 Public Intellectuals," Foreign Policy's "100 Global Thinkers," and Time magazine's "The 100 Most Influential People in the World Today."

Bibliographic information

QR code for The Better Angels of Our Nature
TitleThe Better Angels of Our Nature: The Decline of Violence In History And Its Causes
AuthorSteven Pinker
Editionreprint
PublisherPenguin Books Limited, 2011
ISBN0141959746, 9780141959740
Length1056 pages
Subjects › 

History / Social History
Psychology / General
Social Science / Violence in Society
  
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