Many people cling to an image of the past as being peaceful and bucolic.
The reality is that right now, the 20th and 21st Century, is the most non-violent time in human history, and that nostalgia for the past is just a delusion.
That's the central argument of Steven Pinker's book "The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined," and he has the research to back it up.
The Harvard professor says the reason people think the past was peaceful is because living human memory is very short.
"Undoubtedly the 20th century had several decades of horrific violence, but other centuries had periods of horrific violence as well," said Pinker.
But after World War II, wars transformed from all-encompassing events to much more localized battles.
"We take it for granted that France and Germany aren't going to go to war, or Austria or Russia.This is a very unusual historical development," said Pinker.
For the full interview, click the video link to the right.
