From the Bookshelf of Science and Inquiry…

The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined

Steven Pinker

Start date: January 1, 2014

Finish date: January 31, 2014

Discussion: Book Club 2014

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Book Club 2014

March 2014 - Epigenetics Revolution
By Betsy , co-mod · 13 posts · 147 views

last updated Nov 06, 2019 03:45AM

September 2014 - Sixth Extinction
By Betsy , co-mod · 62 posts · 168 views

last updated Jan 06, 2016 01:48AM

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What Members Thought

Jul 14, 2024 Cori rated it liked it · review of another edition

I was looking forward to reading this book, but ended up a but disappointed. I'm not sure what data I expected Pinker to have regarding more ancient civilizations. I felt he was trying too hard to convince us about violence in the past from stories that survives, while simultaneously trying to calm our nerves about the violence in the news today.

It was interesting to read as a view of history and humanity, but I don't think it did what it set out to do. ...more

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Nov 05, 2023 CatReader rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: no-audiobook, mod, slco, cc

DNF at around 75% -- this book is easily the length (806 pages) and density of your average college-level textbook, so for that reason my attention kept drifting. Pinker makes some good arguments and presents a lot of compelling data, but for a non-academic-targeted book it would have been much better in my opinion to make this book 50% shorter and cut out 50% of the examples.

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