====================================================================== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. ======================================================================
Thanks for posting the two articles. Fry makes an excellent point about Pinker avoiding the issue of structural violence -- which causes immense pain and suffering. But I was also wondering about Pinker's argument that deaths due to wars are decreasing. Is he referring to absolute numbers or percentages of the population? In absolute numbers, when you consider deaths in the two world wars, in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia (in the millions), in the Iran-Iraq conflict and the Gulf Wars (also millions) and the Congo (5 to 6 million), it seems the death toll for the 20th century is far higher than that of previous centuries. And that's not even considering the mass repressions of places like Indonesia and Guatemala. Fry's point that the military's capacity for violence -- including nuclear -- is greater than ever seems incontrovertible. Glenn ________________________________________________ Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu Set your options at: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
