Pretty good bunch of statistics to make his argument but he downplays some of the bigger problems we face like corruption and inequality as tho those things are sustainable and barely threatening.

A lot to digest but full of pertinent information. Extremely relevant given the times we live in.

Very difficult to get through the material due to the graphic and exhaustive rendering of human torture as this subject matter. Enlightening all the same and clearly a great deal of professional scholarship. Better angels indeed, Steven! Quint Amer

This book, published in 2011, has been mentioned in several books on psychology and sociology written after its publishing. Some of these mentions were positive, but most of the authors I've read seem to be trying to discreet this book. I recall two primary criticisms. 1. many authors claim that pinker's representation of violence among ancient tribal hunter-gatherers lacks evidence. 2. Pinker only focuses on society and cultures that support his theory. I find the first argument to be a strawman. This is because Pinker spends hardly any time on pre-iron age man. He also spends less than a page on violence and tribalism among apes. (Another observation he's been criticized for.) Where I will give his critics credit is the fact that he seems to ignore societal modern violence in African and Middle Eastern cultures. Now that the disclaimers are out of the way, I would like to say that I find pinker's observations to be an essential part of any attempt to understand human violence. Pinker looks at cultures where violence has lowered over time, and tries to find commonalities and causes. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in sociology, crowd psychology, human violence, & The social factors correlated with populational decrease in violence.

Hi. The book was my first experience with audiobooks (due to my eyesight). And I am happy! it's a great book! Enlightening! Thank you!