Summary: The Ugly Truth

In this TEDTalk, Steven Pinker introduced an interesting trend in societal violence. The talk began by presenting fax that showed a dramatic decrease in the amount of violent crime beginning as far back as the earliest human hunter-gatherers. In many places during that time period, the chances of dying at the hands of another human were as high is sixty percent. Although the media and people tend to believe we are living in a time of extreme violence, we are actually living during one of the most peaceful times in human history. Even though the 20th Century witnessed tragedies such as the Holocaust, Rwanda, Stalin’s mass executions, and two World Wars, the chances of a human by violent means was less than three percent.

A myth about violence that is very common today is the fact that violence has increased over the centuries.

While Pinker does an efficient job substantiating these claims with abstract examples of our “bloody history” drawn from sources like the Old Testament and feudal lifestyles, his argument rests upon a narrow denotation of violence that only looks at human death and no other manifestation of aggression. Though Pinker organizes his argument to prove each development process’s impact on peace, he fails to acknowledge the price society has paid in ways like global warming, diplomatic inadequacy and weak national governments. The data Pinker uses to prove his point obscures the collateral damage social change has generated by creating new forms of violence that are as destructive as wars but disproportionately affected certain communities.

Violence is an issue in human nature. Everyone has their own definition and their own interpretations of violence. The big question is if the world is still growing in its violent nature, or is it finally reaching its solemn, peaceful generation. The evolution of violence has grown in many different paths from survival of the fittest, genocide, slavery, etc. According to Steven Pinker’s article “Violence Vanquished,” he explains how the world is entering an era of peace because we do not deal with the same violence our ancestors did in the past. That is true. We abolished slavery, stopped brutal wars, and revolutionized with strategies such as commerce. Pinker analyzes his arguments very well, but negates common issues of violence that we still

Although Steven Crichley doesn’t fully come out and say that our country isn’t as great as it used to be, in his article, “Violence is Who We Are,” He does list situations that have increasingly become more of a problem. For example, “It used to be that a 12- year- old boy might sneak a look at his father’s Playboy magazine…. Now a 12-year-old can view the most extreme pornogaphy imaginable.” Because of the use of the internet incorrectly, looking at porn has become increasingly a larger problem. Another problem that is increasing, is the homicides and shootings in Pittsburgh and around the world. “Shootings and murders in the

Violence has overtaken this world and it has most definitely gotten out of control. We are always hearing about

In The New York Time article “Is the World Getting More Dangerous?” ,authors John Arquilla and Emma Ashford explain and support their claims on if the world is getting more dangerous by using facts and valid topic choices. John Arquilla argues that the world is getting more dangerous, this is because the violent death levels are highly increases. Emma Ashford argues that the world is not getting more dangerous because the number of conflicts has been decreasing and the world is starting to avoid violence. Agreeing with Arguilla, the world is getting more dangerous because violent deaths are escalating, terrorist attacks and wars.

The way that the modern world works is to encourage people to no longer be silent on issues, but to take action. This call to action also breeds anger and hatred in the hearts of those whom the issues affect. Society, as a result of this anger brewing, has taken a turn for the worst. Demonstrations that start out as “peaceful” have started to become more and more violent. For instance, the Dallas Police Shooting, is an example of hatred overtaking peace.

International terrorism aspires to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, influence the policy of a government, or affect the conduct of a government and transcend national

In the article “Why The World Is More Peaceful”, the author, Steven Pinker (2012), argues that, over hundreds of years, violence has declined around the world. He claims that government, commerce, and literacy have encouraged people to restrain their violent impulses, empathize with others, and use reason to solve problems. This article was first published in the journal Current History. It is a continuation of an argument Pinker made in his book The Better Angels Of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined (2011). The article is directed toward a general but educated audience. Although Pinker’s article is relevant and logical, many of the author’s arguments are not supported with adequate

Currently, in the United States we have a lot of violence going on. Is it because people

What has our society come to these days? Everywhere we look, violence is present, at the streets, at work, at school, and even at home. Every day in the news we see reports about shootings, wars, thefts, drugs, rapes, and deaths. The worse part of seen this in the news is that all way do it’s complain about it and sit back. We do not even attempt an explanation or a resolution. Violence is among one of the most malignant act that has been increasing day by day. And why is it that we complain about other people being violent, but when we are asked if we are violent or if we have ever responded with violence, everyone says they are not violent. But if among ourselves we are not violent then who is it that makes our society a violent society?

Violence affects the way we learn, play and live our daily lives. Nowadays, teens could hang out all day until the lights went out. Yet, due to violence, we can't exactly appreciate that. We don't spend time the way our parents have. They would go to the park, go for a bike ride, take a walk, go to the movies. Now children and teens would entertain themselves by spending a portion of their day on technology and new forms of media. My granddad told me they didn't have to lock their doors back in the day. The generation we live in will never be able to experience the life our parents did all because of violence.

Violence happens for a number of reasons some to include leaders are able to mobilize groups to do certain things that cause violence, the loot-ability of natural resources and other products and because some individuals choose to be violent. It is very important to note that climate change will not make violence nor increase the risk of violence in isolation, it also requires other important social factors.

The idea that Steven Pinker discussed in his Ted Talk was that over time our world has become a more peaceful place to reside in. Breaking his evidence down into the viewpoint of millenniums, centuries, and decades, he utilized mortality rates due to warfare, homicide, and death penalty. Furthermore, Pinker analyzes the history of warfare from a social perspective that investigates the effect that anarchy, the value of life, and the expanding of one’s circle of acceptance.