Harvard evolutionary psychologist Steven Pinker is a darling of the New Atheists and the Darwin Brigade, not least Jerry Coyne of Why Evolution Is True who lovingly nicknames him “Pinkah.” In a controversial recent book, The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined, Pinker makes the case that secularism includes among its blessings the gift of peace.
As we ascend the “escalator of reason,” shrugging off religion in favor of science, or scientism, our culture naturally becomes less violent and more tolerant. An increasingly secular, scientistic culture accounts for a decline in violence over the centuries, or does it? Is Western civilization getting progressively more civilized — or less?
Today on the Michael Medved Show’s Science & Culture Update, Michael will talk with mathematician, philosopher and Discovery Institute senior fellow David Berlinski about Pinker’s book and the larger agenda of rationalizing violence and atrocities. Berlinski’s forthcoming book is a response to Pinker, The Best of Time.
What role did science play in making possible the horrors of the 20th century? What are the cultural origins of World War I? Find out in the second hour of the Medved show, 1 pm Pacific time or 4 pm Eastern. Listen live on the radio or go here to listen online.