POLC38H3 Lecture Notes - Homicide, Steven Pinker
Document Summary
Pinker why the world is more peaceful notes. Six major trends: transition from the anarchy of hunting/gathering and horticultural societies in which we spend most of history into the first agricultural civilizations (5000 years ago). Reduction in raiding and feuding as a result (fivefold decrease in violent death). Civilization process" that spanned half a millennium best documented in europe between the late middle ages and twentieth century. Result of consolidation of feudal territories into large kingdoms with centralized authority and an infrastructure of commerce (tenfold-fiftyfold decrease in rates of homicide). Humanitarian revolution" saw the first organized movements to abolish socially sanctioned forms of violence such as absolute despotism, slavery, dueling, torture, superstitious killing and sadistic punishment. Stirrings of systematic pacifism: after the end of world war ii. Symbolically inaugurated by the universal declaration of human. The growing revulsion thereafter against violence to ethnic minorities, women, children, homosexuals and animals.
