ClaimsSteven Pinker

“forms of institutionalized violence that can be eliminated by the stroke of a pen — such as capital punishment, the criminalization of homosexuality, the callous treatment of farm animals, and the corporal punishment of children in schools — will continue to decline, because decision-making elites will continue to be swept by the humanitarian tide that has carried them along for centuries.”

Steven Pinker, psychology professor 10 November 2011 On the side of the angels (Harvard Gazette) archived copy

Prediction Philosophy, ethics and society

Institutionalized violence that can be eliminated by the stroke of a pen, such as capital punishment, criminalization of homosexuality, callous treatment of farm animals and corporal punishment in schools, will continue to decline.

Unresolvable The public record could not settle it.

Prediction: Statements about events outside the person's control, checked once they fell due: did they come true?

Reasoning

Prediction of continued decline has no horizon, so it cannot be settled at a defined time.

Cite this claim

Steven Pinker, “Institutionalized violence that can be eliminated by the stroke of a pen, such as capital punishment, criminalization of homosexuality, callous treatment of farm animals and corporal punishment in schools, will continue to decline.” (said 10 November 2011). Verdict: unresolvable. Reliability API, claim c_c78fc28a72e2, method 0.1.0+28da144b, dataset release v1.1.2. https://epistacklabs.com/claims/c_c78fc28a72e2

This claim is in dataset release v1.1.2, with the same verdict.

Reply to this claim

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Verdicts are made automatically; how verdicts are made.