a book

The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined

Name: The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined
Rating: 5 (20 reviews)
Author: Stephen Pinker
ISBN: 9780141034645

Stephen Pinker · 2012 · 1026 pages

'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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recommended by 20 people

sourced from public statements

Andrej Karpathy
“The book argues that things have actually improved. I find it hard to believe that any sane and half-well-read person would think otherwise, without entire chapters on medieval torture. Someone else might like it, but I found it too exhausting. Quitting ~1/3rd through.”
Bill Gates
“One of the most important books I’ve read—not just this year, but ever.”↗
Nassim Taleb
“For instance, the science journalist Steven Pinker played that trick with his book The Better Angels of Our Nature, which claims a decline of violence in modern human history, and attributes this to modern institutions. My collaborator Pasquale Cirillo and I, when we put his “data” under scrutiny, found out that either he didn’t understand his own numbers (actually, he didn’t), or he had a story in mind and kept adding charts, not realizing that statistics isn’t about data but distillation, rigor, and avoiding being fooled by randomness—but no matter, the general public and his state-worshipping IYI colleagues found it impressive (for a while).”
Lex Fridman
“Encouraged the better side of ourselves.”↗
Fareed Zakaria
“A monumental achievement. Pinker, a Harvard psychology professor, draws on 5,000 years of historical evidence to explain in fascinating detail how violence has declined across human history. More broadly, he shows that human beings have learned to treat each other better in general.”↗
Eric Schmidt
“When you finish The Better Angels of Our Nature, which takes a long time, you conclude that the world is in a much, much better place than it has been in the past.”↗
Chris Anderson
“I recommend anything by this author. He’s one of the clearest thinkers and communicators of our time.”↗
Ben Silbermann
“Takes a long view and shows the long-term decline in violence that has occurred.”↗
John Arnold
“The books I've given most as a gift.”↗
Stewart Brand
Geoffrey Miller
Mark Manson
Mark Zuckerberg
Steven Pinker
Anthony Pompliano
Jack Kornfield
Daniel Kahneman
A. J. Jacobs
Penn Jillette
Bruce Schneier