Steven Pinker, linguist. March 2007.
I. Pre-watching task: working in pairs support the statement you agree
with:
• Today we are living in the most peaceful time in our species’ existence.
• Modernity has brought us terrible violence.
II. Comprehension questions:
a) What are the topic and thesis of the talk given by the linguist Steven
Pinker?
b) How does Steven Pinker substantiate his thesis?
c) Why according to Steven Pinker do many people mistakenly believe that
violence has been on the increase?
d) What reasons does Steven Pinker find to explain the decline of violence?
III. Give the gist/summary of the talk.
IV. Expand on the following:
● Everything that makes it easier to imagine trading places with someone else increases your moral consideration for that other person.
● No one ever attracted observers, advocates and donors by saying that things just seem to be getting better and better.