On Violence in History

Description

Is global violence on the decline? Steven Pinker’s highly-publicized argument that human violence across the world has been dramatically abating continues to influence discourse among academics and the general public alike. In this provocative volume, a cast of eminent historians interrogate Pinker’s thesis by exposing the realities of violence throughout human history. In doing so, they reveal the history of human violence to be richer, more thought-provoking, and considerably more complicated than Pinker claims. Contents Illustrations Preface Introduction Chapter 1. The Past as a Foreign Country Chapter 2. Were There Better Angels of a Classical Greek Nature? Chapter 3. Getting Medieval on Steven Pinker Chapter 4. The Complexity of History Chapter 5. Whitewashing History Chapter 6. Assessing Violence in the Modern World Chapter 7. The "Moral Effect" of Legalized Lawlessness Chapter 8. Does Better Angels of Our Nature Hold Up as History? Chapter 9. The Rise and Rise of Sexual Violence Chapter 10. The Inner Demons of The Better Angels of Our Nature Chapter 11. What Pinker Leaves Out Index