On Violence in History

On Violence in History
Author :
Publisher : Berghahn Books
Total Pages : 157
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781789204667
ISBN-13 : 1789204666
Rating : 4/5 (666 Downloads)

Book Synopsis On Violence in History by : Philip Dwyer

Download or read book On Violence in History written by Philip Dwyer and published by Berghahn Books. This book was released on 2020-01-10 with total page 157 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is global violence on the decline? Scholars argue that Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker’s proposal that violence has declined dramatically over time is flawed. This 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. From the introduction: Not all of the scholars included in this volume agree on everything, but the overall verdict is that Pinker’s thesis, for all the stimulus it may have given to discussions around violence, is seriously, if not fatally, flawed.The problems that come up time and again are the failure to genuinely engage with historical methodologies; the unquestioning use of dubious sources; the tendency to exaggerate the violence of the past in order to contrast it with the supposed peacefulness of the modern era; the creation of a number of straw men, which Pinker then goes on to debunk; and its extraordinarily Western-centric, not to say Whiggish, view of the world. Complex historical questions, as the essays in this volume clearly demonstrate, cannot be answered with any degree of certainty, and certainly not in a simplistic way. Our goal here is not to offer a final, definitive verdict on Pinker’s work; it is, rather, to initiate an ongoing process of assessment that in the future will incorporate as much of the history profession as possible.


On Violence in History Related Books

On Violence in History
Language: en
Pages: 157
Authors: Philip Dwyer
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2020-01-10 - Publisher: Berghahn Books

GET EBOOK

Is global violence on the decline? Scholars argue that Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker’s proposal that violence has declined dramatically over time is flaw
On Violence
Language: en
Pages: 591
Authors: Bruce B. Lawrence
Categories: Political Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2007-12-06 - Publisher: Duke University Press

GET EBOOK

This anthology brings together classic perspectives on violence, putting into productive conversation the thought of well-known theorists and activists, includi
On Violence
Language: en
Pages: 110
Authors: Hannah Arendt
Categories: Family & Relationships
Type: BOOK - Published: 2014-01 - Publisher: Important Books

GET EBOOK

An analysis of the nature, causes, and significance of violence in the second half of the twentieth century. Arendt also reexamines the relationship between war
Violence
Language: en
Pages: 271
Authors: Slavoj Zizek
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2008-07-22 - Publisher: Macmillan

GET EBOOK

Philosopher, cultural critic, and agent provocateur Zizek constructs a fascinating new framework to look at the forces of violence in the world.
Understanding Violence
Language: en
Pages: 406
Authors: Elizabeth Kande L. Englander
Categories: Psychology
Type: BOOK - Published: 2017-07-05 - Publisher: Routledge

GET EBOOK

What impels human beings to harm others -- family members or strangers? And how can these impulses and actions be prevented or controlled? Heightened public awa