Question...it has been said we live in a world that is safer than ever (for humans)...

[oldcynic]

...and I just doubt it. (the bomb, Trump, Le Pen, Brexit, National Rifle Ass, militarized police,etc. Let's just say this does not include species suicide). But I have no facts. Just feelings, guesstimates, anecdotes, so I'm calling on DU's collective brain to answer.

1. Are individual crimes against other individuals greater or lesser overall than in the past?

My guess is that the rate of individual crimes remains the same but increases proportional to population growth. The past means all the way back...to when our cousins roamed earth with us, when we were all still in Africa right through to yesterday.

2. Has the rate of state crimes (wars, executions, torture, displacement, etc) decreased or remained the same per population growth?

I'm using "state" as shorthand for any organizational activity: Viking invasions, one petty warlord raiding the next village, killing off Neanderthals, etc.

No alternative facts, please.

[Shrike47]

1. Safer in what way? There are far fewer people dying now of childbirth.

Or from epidemics, farm accidents, inadvertent falls, famine, colds (babies too congested to suck died). Life for our more remote ancestors was pretty damn hostile. On the other hand, the world was safer from politically-related assaults.

One problem now is the finality of some possible outcomes.

[oldcynic]

4. crime...harmful action inflicted by one person on another.

[democratisphere]

2. Humans are actually the largest problem to themselves.

There are exponentially too many humans that are destroying their own, and every other creatures, environments.

[oldcynic]

5. not talking about species suicide

[mercuryblues]

3. a few links

you might find helpful

crime rates in the USA 1960 to 2015.

http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm

terrorist attacks in USA from 1865 to present

http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/terrorism/wrjp255a.html

[oldcynic]

7. Wow, many thanks

Your data is going to take some going over. Knew somebody would come through with links.
The second list is fascinating. Gives credence to the idea that everything has already happened (at least to a light speed photon).
Forgot how long ago the Haymarket Massacre was. Bastard union busters. I grew up on that story.

[MedusaX]

6. All things are relative...

FWIW
Advances in Technology often occur in response to existing threats to safety... (disease, human actions, environmental agents, etc)

But as technology/scientific advances are made which protect us from /eliminate existing threats...
invariably the door is opened to new, different sources of "danger".

we constantly adapt to things in the environment in order to survive..
But as We adapt & naturally build up a resistance to certain germs or pollens etc. .... everything in the environment is also adapting, building resilience, and developing new defenses in an attempt to stay alive/survive.

It is an ongoing cycle that exists in every ecosystem....


As far as the human to human crime rate, the amount/rate itself likely remains consistent but the nature of the crimes probably has shifted from predominantly physical violence to predominantly property related.

IOW, perhaps the advances in technology and the steady progress of human civility over time have created an environment in which individuals are physically safer within their community/state/etc

..... but there are also new sources of danger/ threats to our safety being posed by distant countries/continents.


The "state" has refined its ability to defeat opponents and administer punishment for criminals.

So, I think the casualties per "act" have likely decreased at a far greater rate than would ever be offset by the increase in total number of acts engaged in...

IOW, we may have more state initiated acts take place in a given year/period than we did in the past...
but the resulting number of total casualties during the given year/period are far fewer.

[oldcynic]

8. sorry, I am techologically in the 20th century

What is FWIW and IOW? I don't even have a cell phone...well I do, but it's stashed somewhere until I get around to learning how to plug it in.