“Pre-state societies were far more violent than our own.” — Steven Pinker Quote

Pre-state societies were far more violent than our own.

Violence and religion have often gone together, but it's not a perfect correlation, and it doesn't have to be a permanent connection, because religions themselves change.

Terrorist bombings, like rampage shootings, are events that maximize the amount of publicity per amount of damage. That's why people do them, because they know they will set off a media frenzy.

Art works because it appeals to certain faculties of the mind. Music depends on details of the auditory system, painting and sculpture on the visual system. Poetry and literature depend on language.

All democratic societies eventually decide what is in favor of them.

Freedom of the press underpins free societies around the world.

Democratic societies need a strong media, and WikiLeaks is part of that media.

All societies are historical.

The moral disapprobation of society has an impact on behavior in societies.