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  • The Better Angels of Our Nature

  • Why Violence Has Declined
  • By: Steven Pinker
  • Narrated by: Arthur Morey
  • Length: 36 hrs and 39 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (948 ratings)

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The Better Angels of Our Nature

By: Steven Pinker
Narrated by: Arthur Morey
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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.
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What listeners say about The Better Angels of Our Nature

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A Magnum Opus in every sense!

For such a long book, it never gets boring. I was fascinated from start to finish. Pinker has certainly done his research, and the book is packed with references to current research. His analysis of human violence is comprehensive, covering history, philosophy, neuropsychology, evolutionary biology, genetics, social theory, religious beliefs, child rearing practices, theories on the origins of war, demographic correlates of violence and much more on the demons and angels of our nature.

Contrary to what we might think, he argues convincingly that we are getting more humane. No more do we burn cats (or heretics) alive for entertainment. No more do we torture people to death, or subject children to cruel and unusual punishments and even though our weapons of war are deadlier than ever, every life lost - even our enemies, becomes a source of regret.

The book holds several surprises: that literature may be a cause of our greater tolerance of others, that empathy has a dark side in favouritism, that "mirror neurones" do not necessarily make us more humane, that the Flynn effect (increasing IQ) may also be contributing to our capacity for compassion, that the era of "Flower Power" bucked the downward trend with a sharp increase in crime and violence.

We will never be without violence, but for anyone who despairs at the modern world, there is much hope to be found here. It would seem that the angels of empathy, reason, self-control, prudence, fairness, ethical norms, and human rights are slowly winning out against the demons of instrumental violence, sadism, revenge, rage and ideology.

This is such a great book!

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42 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Thorough and useful

The book goes over a lot of concepts to do with psychology and politics that link together in this comprehensive report on the growing theme of peace in our world.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Highly recommended book about human nature

It's a long book, but detailed informative and easy to follow. I learned a lot of news theory and facts. Narrator was good!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

So much content

There is so much information contained in this book. The author has explored every angle to advance his theory and does so in an understandable way. It is a very long book so it was essential that the narration is good, it is excellent.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Very entertaining

Eye opener, entertaining and sometimes mind blowing how much we have progressed this century.

How evil we humans can be to each other, has no limit.
When people say «the good old days» they usally forget how cruel the world was compared to today.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

This is an excellent book!

This is an excellent book. It is not for the faint hearted as it covers topics that some may find disturbing. However, in my opinion everyone should take the time to read/ listen to it as it's not only thought provoking but in a peculiar way life aferming.

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    4 out of 5 stars

rethink what you know about violent conflict

this is long and technical, but well worth the time. it's a bit of a minefield of dry data interspersed with graphic descriptions of, for example, medieval torture practices. take care if listening with kids around. the mere fact I need to tell you this in a review of a book on violence tells you how much modern attitudes have shifted away from violence. this work takes you through how we got from the bad old days to the modern global village and leaves you with a real sense of hope.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

How can a theory so positive be so full of horror?

I've learnt probably more from this than from any other book. It's chock-full of well made arguments and the evidence to back them up. It's also significantly more interesting than many of the more academic books I've read or listened to.

But it's all held together by the word that started this sentence. But. It's natural for narrative conflict when dealing with something so thoroughly *big*, but whatever phrasing the author uses, it so liberally glues the narrative together that you can't help noting it. It's also immensely frustrating when some of the more compelling arguments are brushed aside with a "but I don't think so," where more immediately tenuous links are explored in great depth.

The Better Angels of our Nature is a refreshingly positive take on history, but Pinker describes great horrors in sometimes graphic detail to press the point that we've never had it so good, and that offers a welcome challenge to the reader. It also serves as a stark warning of the historic results of fierce nationalism and the breaking down of a leviathan such as the EU.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The history of violence: a new perspective

This is a comprehensive , well argued and well delivered thesis. So full of logical, statistical and psychological support it oft requires a re-read or a follow up from the written text.
Thank you

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very good insight into history of violence

Steven pinker really digs deep into the history of violence and how humans tick. Very thorough analysis of the subject. I enjoyed how he uses everyday life examples to drive his point home. The insight of biblical era violence was well written. I bought into his thesis and subscribe to his views.

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