neurophilosophy

The claim that “the twentieth century was the bloodiest period in history” is one of the clichés used when denouncing many evils, including atheism, Darwin, statecraft, science, capitalism, communism, the ideal of progress, and the male gender. But is this true? Pinker argues the opposite. The cliché that hunter-gatherer societies, primitive tribes, or “stateless societies” are less likely to kill people is refuted by a wealth of statistical data. So is human nature good or bad? Is economic inequality the source of violence? As poverty increases, do people become more prone to violence? However, during the peak of violence in the 1960s, the coefficient of inequality in Western societies was at its lowest level ever. Is it our unequal society that brings out the evil in us, or are we inherently evil? Pinker takes this centuries-long debate between Hobbes and Rousseau to the next level and illuminates it with modern analysis. Arguing that the humanist revolution domesticated humans, Pinker proves the invalidity of the attacks of some enemies of the Enlightenment by showing how the Enlightenment revealed the good side of human nature.

“An extraordinarily important book.”

–The New York Times Book Review

(From the Promotional Bulletin)

Dough Type: 2nd Dough

Size: 14 x 21

First Print Year: 2019