<Tr> <Th> LC Class </Th> <Td> HM1116 . P57 2011 </Td> </Tr> <P> The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined is a 2011 book by Steven Pinker, in which the author 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 declining 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> <P> Pinker presents a large amount of data (and statistical analysis thereof) that, he argues, demonstrate that violence has been in decline over millennia and that the present is probably the most peaceful time in the history of the human species . The decline in violence, he argues, is enormous in magnitude, visible on both long and short time scales, and found in many domains, including military conflict, homicide, genocide, torture, criminal justice, and treatment of children, homosexuals, animals and racial and ethnic minorities . He stresses that "The decline, to be sure, has not been smooth; it has not brought violence down to zero; and it is not guaranteed to continue ." </P>

By the better angels of our nature meaning