I always wonder about statistics and claims made by them. Are there fewer deaths in war because the world is less violent, or because of advances in medicine?

Anyhow, I seriously question any judgment made about the decreasing violence in man based upon even 50 years. History runs in cycles, often times of peace and prosperity (like that around the turn of the 19th century) lull people into a false sense the world is getting better. But as we know, the 20th century was the bloodiest in the history of man. You know, not too long after scientist and intellectuals were declaring the age of progress would bring peace and prosperity…

My point is that you cannot fundamentally change man. He isn’t “evolving”. Society evolves, sure, and we are more connected and wiser in a sense. But if there is one thing history has taught us, it’s that people don’t learn from history.

Some might call what I’m saying pessimist and cynical, I just see it as a more realistic view. I’m glad war is declining, but my firm belief that man has not fundamentally changed forces me to temper any enthusiasm.