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Home Front: WoT
The World Is Not Falling Apart
2014-12-30
Steven Pinker and Andrew Mack at Slate put forth a hypothesis, complete with graphs and data, that the world is less violent now than over the past sixty years. They have an interesting take on violence, war, death, rape and mass killings to suggest that the world, most of it, is safer today than since the end of World War Two. A person is more likely to die of old age today than ever before.

Since we at the Burg focus on what the WoT, particularly that of the Islamic sort, is doing to the world, Pinker and Mack put forth something worthy of debate. Are we just focused (or obsessed) with something that is just a small part of the entire picture, or do Pinker and Mack, with their focus on data, miss the bigger part of what human nature and intent do over time? One could argue that the 'peacefulness' of the world today is the result of cumulative investment by humanity over a half-century to make it happen -- what happens when world leaders are no longer making those "pay it forward" investments?

One point Pinker and Mack don't explore at all in this article, or in Pinker's latest book, is the apparent fragility of our increasingly complex world. Social change, social advance, technology advances, and economic progress suggest that it might -- might -- take less to overturn our world than that of a half-century ago. That gets to how 'resilient' our world is today. If a single EMP can take out a country's advanced technology, what then happens to all the indicators of mortality, war, crime and so on?
Posted by:Steve White

#8  It all depends upon what statistics and indicators you select and what countries you choose for comparison. Although it would be extremely difficult--maybe nearly impossible, you might be able to make Obama look like the greatest president ever if you wanted to. I dunno, I just might have over-reached on that last statement.
Posted by: JohnQC   2014-12-30 17:02  

#7  Sad thing is the progressives and others who place great faith in such academic drivel will be utterly destroyed when the society split and violence happens.
Posted by: OldSpook   2014-12-30 13:50  

#6  In this country it is continuing to polarize along cultural divides. This usually does precede apartness.
Posted by: BrerRabbit   2014-12-30 12:52  

#5  Actually the article's own graphs contradict the theory of things getting better.

While violence and warfare declined 2000-2010, there has been an uptick in violence every year since 2010. This is especially true in the 3rd world (Mid-East anyone?)

Al
Posted by: frozen al   2014-12-30 11:09  

#4  It's all about distance. The closer you live to 'frontier' the more threat and violence you experience. That line is just not linear but hierarchical and one of perception. When you're ensconced in the urban bubble (compounded by ivory tower distance), you can look upon the world as something 'others' have to deal with (until a Katrina shows up to remove all those intricate systems that allow such bubbles to exist. Then watch how quickly life and contacts become medieval.)
Posted by: Procopius2k   2014-12-30 07:54  

#3  This drivel by Pinker is the 2015 equivalent of Fukuyama's equally worthless "end of history" screed that was so trumpeted in its time.

There are always people like Fukuyama and Pinker who come out with this nonsense. What it really is, in essence, is a giant self-pat on the back. "Look at me and my "progressive" fellow travelers, we really REALLY did make heaven on earth, after all!"

Pfffft. We shall see. Room sized egos rarely make good judgments or analyses.
Posted by: no mo uro   2014-12-30 06:23  

#2   Every day ordinary homicides claim one and a half times as many Americans as the number who died in the Sandy Hook massacre.

The Left hyped the ever living shit out of Sandy Hook and other atrocities, and will continue to do so ad infinitum, because it's politically convenient for them to do just that. Until the majority of left-wing / MSM news organizations embrace this article (which you and I know will never, ever fucking happen), this is a fig leaf / ass covering over their tiny dicks, and nothing more.

Nice try, guys - now fuck off...
Posted by: Raj   2014-12-30 01:07  

#1  Reporting, or mis-reporting is often a fault.
24/7 news cycle makes things look than they are, and sometimes better.

The rate of losing Souls has slowed, the ability to remove more has increased.

The Soul of the world is Civil society, lawful society. That feature is eroding to political despotism.

It means the devil is unleashed again in slow anguish.

It will depend on the Heart to protect a Civil Law separate from passing fads of political formations and religious dogma.

It requires knowledge of why things are they are, and less of a pursuit to make society "perfect".


Posted by: newc   2014-12-30 00:47  

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