Steven Pinker: We are living in the most peaceful time

An interesting video lecture in which he uses a variety of statistics to undermine the media's (and many politicians') presumption that we are living in a time of fear, violence and all-round pandemonium. He also offers his opinions on why this might be the case

As with all arguments that combine statistics from diverse fields of study it's worth retaining some skepticism - but there is a ring of plausibility that might just abate the terror of leaving your door unlocked at night ...

He should hope not.

He's talking world wide.

Yes, the situation in many African states is dire to say the least. Dictatorships, civil war, genocide etc. I'm sure the mortality figures are chilling, but are they higher (as a ratio) than in previous times? I have my doubts. King Leopold II of Belgium instigated the bloody exploitation of the Belgian Congo (the backdrop to Conrad's "Heart of Darkness") which is estimated to have claimed 10 million lives (half the population!). After seeing him acquire the wealth of Croesus (mainly from rubber) most of the other colonial powers introduced similar methods of extortion. How many African slaves died en route to the Americas? The Rwandan genocide is fresh in our memories, but what many people don't know is that the conflict between Hutus and Tutsis has been going on for centuries[1]. Consider the total annihilation of the Cape Hottentots by the Portuguese. Consider the Khoisan race (spread across a huge chunk of territory) wiped off the map completely by the invading Bantu peoples thousands of years ago. Consider, similarly, the Pygmy races which after finishing on the losing side of battle were reduced to eking out an existence in two or three small enclaves. It’s worth mentioning the fact that historically speaking “Black Africa” is a relatively new assignation. It wasn’t always so. There is growing evidence to suggest that between a third and one half of the continent was occupied by white peoples until a few thousand years ago (from the northern shores down as far south as Kenya). Where did they go?[2]

With the above in mind, I think it’s unwise to assume Africa is currently experiencing the most deadly times in its long history.

Sources:

[1] “The State of Africa: A History of Fifty Years of Independence” by Martin Meredith (one of the best books I’ve read on recent African history and politics).

[2] “Guns, Germs & Steel” by Jared Diamond (describes the enormous influence all three have wielded over humanity since their discovery. Contains the fascinating chapter “How Africa Became Black”).