Evening. You were
thinking about what the better angels of our nature are, and you came up with this
from Wikipedia. - Amorella
** **
The Better Angels
of Our Nature
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Better Angels of
Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined is a 2011 book by Steven
Pinker, in which he argues that violence in the world has declined both in the
long run and in the short run and suggests explanations as to why this has
occurred. The book contains a wealth of data simply documenting violence
across time and geography. This paints a picture of massive declines in
violence of all forms, from war, to improved treatment of children. He
highlights the role of nation-state monopolies
on force, of commerce (making
"other people become more valuable alive than dead"), of increased
literacy and communication (promoting empathy), as well as a rise
in a rational problem-solving orientation
as possible causes of this decline in violence. He notes that, paradoxically,
our impression of violence has not tracked this decline, perhaps because of
increased communication, and that further decline is not inevitable, but is
contingent on forces harnessing our better motivations such as empathy and
increases in reason. . . .
Four better angels
(Chapter 9)
Pinker
examines four motives that "can orient [humans] away from violence and
towards cooperation and altruism." He identifies:
1.
Empathy: which
"prompts us to feel the pain of others and to align their interests with
our own."
2.
Self-Control: which
"allows us to anticipate the consequences of acting on our impulses and to
inhibit them accordingly."
3.
The Moral Sense: which
"sanctifies a set of norms and taboos that govern the interactions among
people in a culture." These sometimes decrease violence but can also
increase it "when the norms are tribal, authoritarian, or
puritanical."
4.
Reason: which
"allows us to extract ourselves from our parochial vantage points."
In
this chapter Pinker also examines and partially rejects the idea that humans
have evolved in the biological sense to become less violent. . . .
Selected
and edited from Wikipedia
** **
Dusk left for the cover
of darkness a short time ago. Carol spent most of the afternoon cleaning kitchen
cupboards and cabinets. Tonight you watched last week's "Grantchester"
after discovering it on your DVR this morning. It turns out it was on PBS at
nine Saturday night. You spent much time debating on how to obtain a copy of
last week's show and fooled with Amazon Prime early but since it cost a few
dollars for the episode you thought to wait until Carol was ready to watch.
This afternoon you spent time studying with 'tens' machine you were going to
try after Carol suggested buying the Aleve Direct Therapy Tens Device. You did
purchase it at a lower price from Target but not as low as on Amazon. You did
discover cheaper gel pads from Amazon and ordered them. Aleve wanted $16.00 for
a pair at Target but you bought five pair of gel pads for $18.00 at Amazon. While
Carol was clearing the cabinets and drawers she found a couple stashes of candy
you both enjoyed rather than supper. Carol had made lunch, a chicken pasta and
a colorful salad -- quite good. It turns out, of course, that the 'better
angels' was a metaphor for empathy, self-control, a moral sense and reason at
least according to Mr. Pinker. You didn't read the book but don't agree with
his concept from how it is constructed in Wikipedia. - Amorella
2159 hours. Our humanity has not changed, but our modern day local and
world environment has, even in my own lifetime. We still have a metaphor of
monsters about -- nearby, far away and within. We still have to deal with them
in our daily rituals and mythologies. I deal with the world as usual. I am
lucky to have a friend within and not a monster to deal with. I still love the
concept of the seven virtues and perhaps I have a Guardian Angel in Amorella, a
Helper to help keep me self-honest and outwardly polite. I capitalize out of
respect and I am thankful. (2213)
You put yourself in a
pickle boy. Now you are inclined to look up and define a 'Guardian Angel'
before heading up to bed. - Amorella
2214 hours. I have to have definitions or create them for myself.
Without definitions how can I know how to be?
2228 hours. This is the only way I can resolve these matters Amorella.
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