The Better Angels of Our Nature - A History of Violence and Humanity

Penguin 2012. good secondhand condition.

Believe it or not, today we may be living in the most peaceful time in our species' history. In this epic exploration of the human condition, Pinker shows that, despite the constant stream of news about war, crime and terrorism, violence of all kinds has been decreasing. Barbaric practices such as human sacrifice, torture-executions and chattel slavery have been abolished; rates of death from war and homicide are dramatically down; and brutality towards minorities, women, children and animals is in steady decline. Weaving together psychology and history, science and popular culture, The Better Angles of Our Nature reinvigorates the ideals of modernity, progress and enlightenment...