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The Better Angels of Our Nature
- Why Violence Has Declined
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 36 hrs and 39 mins
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The Better Angels of Our Nature
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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.
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What listeners say about The Better Angels of Our Nature
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Jeremy
- 14-05-12
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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- R. B. Colver
- 12-03-21
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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- G. A. Thart
- 13-06-19
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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- A. G. Bedford
- 21-11-23
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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mr. Ronald Wild
- 17-02-22
A mammoth book that is never dull.
This is one of the best books I've listened to on Audible.
It filled my journey to and from work, several long walks for a couple of months. At thirty five hours it is deep, but extraordinarily interesting.
It covers a lot of ground so a short review would be impossible. Suffice to say, if you're worried about beginning such a long book, go for it, it begins and ends with interest and doesn't dip.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Fabrice Reynaud
- 27-05-21
Very insightful
Great book that make you realize how far we come from and how much more that need to be done.
Positive note is that we are on the right path and some minor bump is in on the road but we should never give up
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Sam Enright
- 09-05-19
This was perhaps the best book I've ever read
Excellent narrator, the audiobook format suits the book well. This book is such a breathtaking achievement of writing
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 25-11-17
Absolutely brilliant
The narration is perfect. The density of the information may mean you need to pair it with a copy of the copy book. It's well worth it
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mr. I. Ramdewar
- 15-09-18
Packed with well considered arguments and evidence
Tough going but packed with well considered arguments and evidence. Pinker combines neuroscience, history, psychology and statistics to demonstrate that modern times are the least violent in history and then explain why.
A good performance by the narrator but Pinker himself is a great speaker. I'd have enjoyed if he'd had read it himself.
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- Neil Mathewson
- 20-08-19
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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