I've discussed both Taleb and Pinker in this blog at various times, but I've never brought the two of them together. Yet reality has brought them together for me. One of Pinker's books for a broad popular audience is called THE BETTER ANGELS OF OUR NATURE (2011). It argues that the world is making progress toward peace. Violence still occurs, but it becomes less common century after century, peaceful methods of the resolution of differences advancing. An example: it is almost possible to imagine France and Germany on opposite sides of a war in the next fifty years or so. Yet not TOO long ago as meta-historians reckon time they were on opposite sides of three different wars within about 3/4s of a century. What has happened? See Pinker's title for his answer -- the better angels of our nature are slowly prevailing and giving us a better world. Taleb has been sharply critical of this book. With the help of statistican Pasquale Cirillo, Taleb wrote a couple of es...