How Does 'The Better Angels Of Our Nature' End?

The final chapters of 'The Better Angels of Our Nature' drive home Steven Pinker's central argument about the decline of violence in human history. He wraps up by showing how modern societies have developed norms, institutions, and cognitive frameworks that make large-scale violence increasingly unthinkable. The book ends with a powerful reflection on the humanitarian revolution, emphasizing how empathy, reason, and interconnected global systems continue to push humanity toward peace. Pinker doesn't claim victory—he acknowledges ongoing conflicts—but provides compelling data showing violence per capita keeps dropping. The closing pages leave you thinking about how fragile this progress is, and how we must actively maintain these 'better angels' through education, dialogue, and institutional safeguards against backsliding into older, more violent patterns of behavior.

Pinker's masterpiece concludes by synthesizing centuries of data into an optimistic yet grounded vision. The ending isn't just about statistics; it's about the psychological and cultural shifts that made violence less acceptable. He demonstrates how commerce, feminization of culture, cosmopolitanism, and the escalator of reason gradually transformed societies.

One striking section analyzes how even entertainment evolved—compare medieval public torture spectacles to today's outrage over fictional character deaths. The book's final argument suggests violence declined because multiple cultural forces aligned: literacy exposed people to diverse perspectives, governments monopolized force to prevent vendettas, and technology made cooperation more profitable than conquest.

Pinker dedicates pages to addressing critics who point to modern wars or terrorism. He acknowledges these horrors but shows they represent downticks, not reversals, in the long-term trend. The last paragraph leaves you with a challenge—to recognize this historical trajectory and become active participants in sustaining peace through rational policymaking and cultural vigilance against dehumanization.

The ending of 'The Better Angels of Our Nature' feels like watching puzzle pieces click together. Pinker doesn't just restate his thesis; he shows how different 'angels'—empathy, self-control, moral sense, and reason—intertwine to suppress humanity's violent impulses. The final chapters contrast beautifully with the book's graphic early sections about medieval cruelty.

What sticks with me is how Pinker handles counterarguments. When discussing recent conflicts, he distinguishes between absolute numbers (which can rise with population growth) and per capita rates (which keep falling). The closing message is clear: progress isn't automatic, but the tools for maintaining it—education, honest media, fair institutions—are within our grasp.

He leaves readers with an intriguing thought experiment: if time travelers from the past saw our era, they'd be stunned by our peacefulness. The book's last line echoes this, suggesting our descendants might one day view current violence as we view slavery—an unthinkable relic of the past.