The Better Angels Of Our Nature Analysis

Module 13 Discussion - Globalization
Even though the American public is shown so many acts of violence on television by the media, including gun violence, acts of terrorism and conflicts in foreign countries violence are decreasing according to Harvard University Professor Steven Pinker. In his book The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined, which was written ten years after the 911 attack. He discusses the variety of violent acts and the reasons behind them. He looks at the motives for why he believes violence is diminishing. He doesn’t guarantee this peace will continue but feels it is primarily due to the “enlightenment period.” Pinker concludes from his research that the world is becoming less violent due to the spread

Statistics are known to be biased, and his statistics are picked to justify and push this theory. Pinker doesn’t consider that his American perspective and our way of life colors his beliefs. He doesn’t mention the possibility of massive destruction of humanity in a way there could never have happened before the invention of nuclear weapons. He feels our sense of responsibility for democratizing and civilizing the world influences our ability to have empathy and compassion, become less selfish and vengeful and therefore violence has declined dramatically. People have experienced a broadening sense of community, global interdependence and our global society. Whether or not you believe the world is more peaceful depends on your frame of reference and statistical evidence you choose to believe. It is hard to suggest that the world is a less peaceful place than it had been several years ago; the recent events are a reminder of that fact. Evidence suggests that such biases influence public perception of world violence. So, violence may perhaps become less brutal, but it is still equally present today, just in other forms. For instance, in the past, we never had weapons that could wipe out all the humanity. Just the fact that we can kill entire populations so easily today has also forced us to be more