POLITICS

[Paddy™]

Show me what the government is without showing me individuals.

If someone commits a crime against another person they'll go the cops, rather than machete the person themselves. This is what I meant by "individuals".

I would say the real reason for a psychological decline in the inclination for violence would be the accidental event of parents using less violence on children due to the standards of living having increased.

I don't think Steve was arguing that the decline in violence was a psychological thing; we could very well be exactly as bloodthirsty as our ancestors. The data - according to Pinker - seems to show a correlation between the increase of governments and the decrease of violence of all kinds.

It's worth reading, the government angle is only one part of the book. He also talks about our romanticised ideas about the "noble savage" and how we assume, wrongly, that primitive or tribal peoples are by definition more moral and in touch with nature than modern day people, etc.