Re:Fidel Castro has died
by umanwizard on Saturday November 26, 2016 @09:59AM
(#13043812)
Your argument doesn't prove violence is cultural. Maybe Scandinavia is peaceful now because most of the people with violent genes left. You're descended from the guys who stayed, not from the ones who left to colonize Iceland, Greenland, Britain, Normandy, etc.
[ Parent
| on HN ]
You really think it became peaceful ca 1100? :-)
Please read some history. It was no better, it was just not internationally infamous clan societies for a while. Then we had violent national states (check e.g. Polish deluge or the 30 year war).
Re:Fidel Castro has died
by umanwizard on Saturday November 26, 2016 @02:32PM
(#13045448)
Fair point :). I guess I need to learn more about Scandinavian history. Any books you can recommend?
For Scandinavian history, only in Swedish. :-)
But I think the same pattern is found everywhere. Most cultures were much more violent in the past. I think Pinker wrote a book about the phenomenon, he is good (I haven't read that but others).
(Let me note that reading about the Polish deluge was one of the shocks of my life, the Swedish school system really didn't mention much about the Polish side of it. I guess the Germans are the only ones that ever took any form of responsibility for historical atrocities.)