Citation

Bessel R. Hist. Reflect. 2018; 44(1): 66-77.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, History Dept., University of Waterloo)

DOI

10.3167/hrrh.2018.440108

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The argument put forward by Steven Pinker that violence has been in decline and that "we have been getting kinder and gentler" rests to a considerable degree upon data concerning violent events, in particular homicide and deaths on the battlefield. In discussing such data for the modern period, this article questions their reliability and, in particular, their comparability over time. Pinker's argument may be stronger with respect to a growing public sensitivity toward many forms of violence, not least sexual violence, for which there is considerable evidence. However, the relationship between changing public sensibilities and changing levels of actual violent acts remains difficult to determine.

Language: en