Violent warfare is on the wane, right?

[AiA in Atlanta]

If you are a follower of Stephen Pinker you know the book The Better Angels of Our Nature with the premise that the world has become and is becoming even more peaceful than ever before and we should all give ourselves a big pat on the back. I love this stuff. But, there is this:

And that, I think, is pretty good reason to believe that all talk of the dwindling likelihood of wars based on recent past experience is mostly based on illusion and people telling themselves convincing but probably unfounded stories. Sure it looks as if things are getting more peaceful. But, looking at the mathematics, that’s exactly what we should expect to see, even if we’re most likely due for a much more violent future.

https://medium.com/bull-market/violent- ... 223faa45e6

Maybe humans have simply gotten better at suppressing violence? If that is the case, when violence erupts, it will be like a volcano that has been held back by a new technology somehow and the explosion will be far worse than if it had just been let to erupt naturally.

[mantra]

Maybe humans have simply gotten better at suppressing violence? If that is the case, when violence erupts, it will be like a volcano that has been held back by a new technology somehow and the explosion will be far worse than if it had just been let to erupt naturally.

I don't think we've become more passive over the last century or so. We're just better at disguising it by distracting the masses with trivia or justifying it as a defense or protection of our country. Slavery, torture, civil wars, perversions inflicted on the vulnerable etc. seem to be as prolific as they've always been.

Modern arms technology is increasingly wiping more people out in one hit so less effort is used to inflict more damage - that's the only difference.

[mellie]

True Mantra, ie...

576,000 - 175,000 deaths from 1990-1998 due to sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council which indirectly caused excess deaths of young children.

The silent wars without arms remain under-realised.

I found this link interesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wa ... death_toll

Imagine how we might react should a UN security Council indirectly cause the deaths of some 175,000 Australian children.

Genocidal UN sanctions seem to be the inconspicuous new way in terms of "said ethical" war these days.

The UN security council has a lot to answer for re- Iraq.

[mozzaok]

"Imagine how we might react should a UN security Council indirectly cause the deaths of some 175,000 Australian children."

Australia is more worried about upsetting feminists than the UN as it has a blind eye to the epidemic of abortions, which is well over 100,000

[AiA in Atlanta]

Here is Pinker speaking on "the surprising decline in violence."

[mellie]

"Imagine how we might react should a UN security Council indirectly cause the deaths of some 175,000 Australian children."

Australia is more worried about upsetting feminists than the UN as it has a blind eye to the epidemic of abortions, which is well over 100,000

True, and as you outlined, genocide as inconspicuous as it is, happens, even in developed nations.

[Neferti]

"Imagine how we might react should a UN security Council indirectly cause the deaths of some 175,000 Australian children."

Australia is more worried about upsetting feminists than the UN as it has a blind eye to the epidemic of abortions, which is well over 100,000

The only feminists I know are males.

[IQS.RLOW]

Sorry...did you say something?

[Rorschach]

It's not on the wane in the Muslim world and they even bring it into our world.

[AiA in Atlanta]

It's not on the wane in the Muslim world and they even bring it into our world.

Pinkers premise is that primitive people were far more violent than moderns. Maybe some Muslims represent a primitive subset?