The Better Angels of Our Nature

书名：The Better Angels of Our NatureWhyViolenceHasDeclined
作者：StevenPinker
译者：
ISBN：9780670022953
出版社：VikingAdult
出版时间：2011-10-4
格式：epub/mobi/azw3/pdf
页数：832
豆瓣评分： 8.3

书籍简介：

Faced with the ceaseless stream of news about war, crime, and terrorism, one could easily think we live in the most violent age ever seen. Yet as New York Times bestselling author Steven Pinker shows in this startling and engaging new work, just the opposite is true: violence has been diminishing for millennia and we may be living in the most peaceful time in our species's existence. For most of history, war, slavery, infanticide, child abuse, assassinations, pogroms, gruesome punishments, deadly quarrels, and genocide were ordinary features of life. But today, Pinker shows (with the help of more than a hundred graphs and maps) all these forms of violence have dwindled and are widely condemned. How has this happened? This groundbreaking book continues Pinker's exploration of the essence of human nature, mixing psychology and history to provide a remarkable picture of an increasingly nonviolent world. The key, he explains, is to understand our intrinsic motives- the inner demons that incline us toward violence and the better angels that steer us away-and how changing circumstances have allowed our better angels to prevail. Exploding fatalist myths about humankind's inherent violence and the curse of modernity, this ambitious and provocative book is sure to be hotly debated in living rooms and the Pentagon alike, and will challenge and change the way we think about our society.

作者简介：

Steven Pinker is one of the world's leading authorities on language and the mind. His popular and highly praised books include Words and Rules, How the Mind Works, and The Language Instinct. The recipient of several major awards for his teaching and scientific research, Pinker is Peter de Florez professor of psychology in the department of brain and cognitive sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

书友短评：

@ 爱未未未来 花了两个多月时间啃完这本英文的大部头，感觉像是研究生修了一门哲学课。观点上其实也不稀奇，简单说就是a smarter world is a less violent world，关键是Pinker对古今各种学术观点和证据的渊博，以及论证的缜密谨严太厉害了，搁在中国这就是钱钟书量级的大学者。我读过文笔好的当代学术大明星，社会学的Steven Pinker，历史的Niall Ferguson，人类学的Jared Diamond，经济学的Paul Krugman，政治学的Francis Fukuyama，生物学的Richard Dawkins，读他们的书感觉就像吃聪明豆，学了什么已经不重要了，纯粹地长智力。 @ Jess 这本书我读的断断续续，但是觉得真心牛逼。逻辑论点实在是越看越觉得厉害，值得盖茨的改变认知世界这一评价。唯一的缺点（if any) 就是太详实了，对读者的要求有些高，读这本书不能躺在沙滩躺椅上，随意翻翻，要打起精神来跟着作者，好像大学上课。倒是符合Pinker的写作风格 (详见 The Sense of Style)。 @ 莫里安 从形势还行的时候读到今年，笑容逐渐消失（捂脸）可能因为有些知识脑子里已经有，所以会觉得内容密度不是很大，每次看别的看得不爽了听会儿挺合适。读到最后反而觉得最后那一两章比较有用。 @ Jess 这本书我读的断断续续，但是觉得真心牛逼。逻辑论点实在是越看越觉得厉害，值得盖茨的改变认知世界这一评价。唯一的缺点（if any) 就是太详实了，对读者的要求有些高，读这本书不能躺在沙滩躺椅上，随意翻翻，要打起精神来跟着作者，好像大学上课。倒是符合Pinker的写作风格 (详见 The Sense of Style)。 @ 慢Man Watched the lecture at U of Edingberg @ 樱花抄 当初没有好好读，现在才发觉可惜 @ 逍遥游 其实我没有能够读完，因为书实在太长了，但已经看过的部分仍然让我很有收获，人类走向非暴力或者少直接暴力，应该是大势所趋。但科技尤其是军事技术的发展对于人类未来的命运有何影响，尚未可知。

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