Post by lily on Feb 24, 2013 20:06:08 GMT -5
From today's newspaper:
Edited for typo.
Despite media stories, worldwide violence has decreased
QUESTION: With all the violence in the world today, whatever happened to "the better angels of our nature"?
ANSWER: Actually, they've become even better over time, though anecdotes about single violent evens like 9/11, Columbine, and child molestation obscure the fact, argues Harvard University social scientist Stephen Pinker in "The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence has declined." as reported by Michael Shermer in "Scientific American" magazine.
For example, "violent deaths of all kinds have declined from around 500 per 100,000 people per year in prestate societies to around 50 in the Middle Ages, to around 6-8 today worldwide," Pinker says. In the 20th century, out of a world population of about 6 billion, some 40 million people died in wars, or 0.7 percent.
"Even if war-related deaths from disease, familine, etc. are included," Pinker adds, "the death toll increases to 180 million, or about 3 percent." The traditional culture of honor and revenge has evolved into today's "culture of dignity--the readiness to control one's emotions," Shermer concludes.
____
Send STRANGE questions to brothers Bill and Rich at Strangetrue@cs.com.
QUESTION: With all the violence in the world today, whatever happened to "the better angels of our nature"?
ANSWER: Actually, they've become even better over time, though anecdotes about single violent evens like 9/11, Columbine, and child molestation obscure the fact, argues Harvard University social scientist Stephen Pinker in "The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence has declined." as reported by Michael Shermer in "Scientific American" magazine.
For example, "violent deaths of all kinds have declined from around 500 per 100,000 people per year in prestate societies to around 50 in the Middle Ages, to around 6-8 today worldwide," Pinker says. In the 20th century, out of a world population of about 6 billion, some 40 million people died in wars, or 0.7 percent.
"Even if war-related deaths from disease, familine, etc. are included," Pinker adds, "the death toll increases to 180 million, or about 3 percent." The traditional culture of honor and revenge has evolved into today's "culture of dignity--the readiness to control one's emotions," Shermer concludes.
____
Send STRANGE questions to brothers Bill and Rich at Strangetrue@cs.com.
Edited for typo.
