<Tr> <Th> Preceded by </Th> <Td> The Stuff of Thought </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Followed by </Th> <Td> The Sense of Style </Td> </Tr> <P> The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined is a 2011 book by Steven Pinker, in which he argues that violence in the world has declined both in the long run and in the short run and suggests explanations as to why this has occurred . The book contains a wealth of data simply documenting violence across time and geography . This paints a picture of massive declines in violence of all forms, from war, to improved treatment of children . He highlights the role of nation - state monopolies on force, of commerce (making "other people become more valuable alive than dead"), of increased literacy and communication (promoting empathy), as well as a rise in a rational problem - solving orientation as possible causes of this decline in violence . He notes that, paradoxically, our impression of violence has not tracked this decline, perhaps because of increased communication, and that further decline is not inevitable, but is contingent on forces harnessing our better motivations such as empathy and increases in reason . </P> <P> The book's title was taken from the ending of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln's first inaugural address . Pinker uses the phrase as a metaphor for four human motivations--empathy, self - control, the "moral sense," and reason--that, he writes, can "orient us away from violence and towards cooperation and altruism ." </P>

Steven pinker’s the better angels of our nature why violence has declined
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