Editor’s Notes: I’ve signed up for www.gatesnotes.com which is Bill Gates reading blog. After reading a couple books recommended I’m reminded how much smarter he and Melinda must be than I am. Some are very tough reads, such as “Better Angels” which attempts a comprehensive history of violence in society. I’m grinding through it though because it answers a long time question I’ve had: Is our perception that violence is increasing a truth or a growth in our awareness and sensitivity to violence. Pinker argues rather forcefully that it is the latter. In fact, he presents facts that indicate that violence has decreased pretty consistently since our ancestors crawled out of the ocean. More importantly, after sharing his research, he share his study of the reasons why we are continually less violent, including organized states and justice systems, commerce, feminization, cosmopolitanism and the escalator of reason. After history lessons and the broad reasons why, he then dives into psychological factors (positive and negative) and influences and psychology. (Damn thing is over 1,000 pages.) But it was well worth forcing myself through it because while one act of violence is too many, it is good to know we are in a virtuous cycle.

Favorite Excerpt: I won’t write it out here as it is several pages, but my favorite excerpt where Pinker (who graduated college one year after me) writes what his graduation speaker could have predicted about events that have happened in our lifetime to reduce violence that would have been spot on. This “commencement address” is an amazing device for old peaceniks like he and me.