# History Shows That Violence Rates Can Change by Steven Pinker > “In any case, there can’t be a theoretical debate over whether we’re doomed to a constant rate of violence, because when you open up the history books you find that rates of violence change.” > **— Steven Pinker**, *Steven Pinker on Violence, full Skeptical Inquirer interview, 2013* ## Sources and Context - **Original publication:** [Steven Pinker on Violence](https://skepticalinquirer.org/2013/07/steven-pinker-on-violence/) — full Skeptical Inquirer interview, 2013; Pinker argues from historical variation, without claiming violence has disappeared. - **Exact original wording:** “In any case, there can’t be a theoretical debate over whether we’re doomed to a constant rate of violence, because when you open up the history books you find that rates of violence change.” ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley|The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Insect World of Intelligence and Mind-Control Parasitism|The Insect World of Intelligence and Mind-Control Parasitism]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Human Animality|Human Animality]] - [[wiki/Human Evolution|Human Evolution]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “In any case, there can’t be a theoretical debate over whether we’re doomed to a constant rate of violence, because when you open up the history books you find that rates of violence change.” — Steven Pinker, Steven Pinker on Violence https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-steven-pinker-history-shows-that-violence-rates-change ```