Psychologist and cognitive scientist Steven Pinker succeeds in showing that violence has retreated around the globe, but his explanation for this trend is diffused and incomplete. Pinker’s ambitious tome might have benefited from a more focused attempt to distinguish the peace dividend of commerce from the peace dividend of Leviathan.

Aschwin de Wolf is a biomedical researcher in Portland, Oregon, and writes for the blog Against Politics.
Crime, Criminal Justice, and PrisonsDefense and Foreign PolicyLaw and Liberty
Other Independent Review articles by Aschwin de Wolf
Fall 2011 Interview with Anthony de Jasay