cover of episode "The Better Angels of Our Nature" Part 1: You're Not Wrong, Pinker. You're Just An *sshole

"The Better Angels of Our Nature" Part 1: You're Not Wrong, Pinker. You're Just An *sshole

2024/2/22
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If Books Could Kill
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Peter: 本书的核心论点是，尽管暴力并非完全消失，且未来走向不确定，但从千年到年，从战争到体罚，暴力在长期内确实有所下降，人类历史上最和平的时代可能就是现在。这一论点得到了考古发现和历史数据的支持，尽管存在一些细节上的争议。 Michael: 虽然暴力下降的论点客观正确，但将其用于压制辩论和讨论，或在面对各种斗争和不公正时沾沾自喜，都可能阻碍进步。 Michael: Pinker的书分为三个部分：第一部分是关于一万年来暴力下降的历史；第二部分是关于战后世界暴力下降的情况；第三部分是关于解释暴力下降的心理因素。对狩猎采集社会暴力水平的估计存在争议，因为化石证据有限，难以得出可靠结论。对当代‘未接触部落’暴力数据的引用也存在局限性，因为这些部落并非完全与世隔绝，且其暴力行为可能与资源竞争和栖息地破坏有关。 Peter: 从1200年左右开始，西欧的凶杀率持续下降，到1800-1900年代已降至很低的水平。中世纪的凶杀案大多是男性间的杀戮，而凶杀案的下降主要体现在陌生人之间的凶杀案减少。国家对暴力的垄断解释了为什么人们不再进行‘企业式暴力’，而是寻求法律途径解决纠纷。

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This week we're tackling Steven Pinker's 900 page dissection of the reasons why violence, torture and war have declined over the last 10,000 years. Was it an indeterminate mixture of politics, economics, technology and serendipity?  Or did some European guys write some books that said murder was bad?Special thanks to Philip Dwyer, Eleanor Janega, David M. Perry and Doug Thompson for help researching and fact-checking this episode!

**Where to find us: **

  • Peter's other podcast, 5-4)
  • Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase)

Sources:

  • The Darker Angels of Our Nature)
  • Getting Medieval On Steven Pinker)
  • The Decline of Violence in the West: From Cultural to Post-Cultural History)
  • Pinker’s (Mis)Representation of the Enlightenment and Violence)
  • Herding and Homicide: An Examination of the Nisbett-Reaves Hypothesis)
  • Peace in Our Time)
  • John Gray: Steven Pinker is wrong about violence and war)
  • The business class doesn't understand the Enlightenment)
  • Delusions Of Peace)
  • Pinker And Progress)
  • Norbert Elias and the History of Violence)
  • Modernization, Self-Control And Lethal Violence)
  • Explaining Long Term Trends in Violent Crime)
  • The Enlightenment’s Dark Side)

*** ***Thanks to Mindseye) for our theme song!