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The Decline in Violence
publication date: Nov 3, 2011
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author/source: Arthur De Vany
Violence of all kinds has declined in all countries and in every kind of crime. Don't believe it? Read or listen to the evidence wonderfully presented by the great Steven Pinker. The talk is in text or video at Edge. His ending: "Now, everyone acknowledges that modernity has given us longer and healthier lives, less ignorance and superstition, and richer experiences. But there is a widespread romantic movement which questions the price. Is it really worth it to have a few years of better health if the price is muggings, terrorism, holocausts, world wars, gulags, and nuclear weapons? I argue that despite impressions, the long-term trend, though certainly halting and incomplete, is that violence of all kinds is decreasing. This calls for a rehabilitation of a concept of modernity and progress, and for a sense of gratitude for the institutions of civilization and enlightenment that have made it possible." |