Pre-Owned - If I could give each of you a graduation present it would be this--the most inspiring book I ve ever read. --Bill Gates (May 2017) A provocative history of violence--from the New York Times bestselling author of The Stuff of Thought The Blank Slate and Enlightenment Now. Believe it or not today we may be living in the most peaceful moment in our species existence. In his gripping and controversial new work New York Times bestselling author Steven Pinker shows that despite the ceaseless news about war crime and terrorism violence has actually been in decline over long stretches of history. Exploding myths about humankind s inherent violence and the curse of modernity this ambitious book continues Pinker s exploration of the essence of human nature mixing psychology and history to provide a remarkable picture of an increasingly enlightened world.