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Originally Posted by CliffFletcher
What I find just as remarkable as the decline in violence is the stubborn resistance of so many to acknowledge the decline. Not only among conservatives, but among progressives. In fact, Pinker has come under fire most passionately from the left, not the right.
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For the record, while this is likely true...
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Part of this is because of the persistence myths that many on the left still cling to - especially the naturalism fallacy and the blank slate myth. The notion that humans are naturally good and it's only oppressive and malign social structures that lead us to harm one another. And then there's the belief that in order to promote a cause you must foster a climate of crisis to attract and keep people's attention. So progress and positive advances cannot be acknowledged lest they take the steam out of the outrage machine.
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This part is speculation, and I'm inclined to differ.
To me the most likely explanation for why Pinker is most criticized on the left is simply because progressives are much more likely to even be aware of his work. (He tends to appear in contexts which have a clear liberal/left/progressive slant, such as TED.)
People in general often react negatively when their worldviews are challenged. It's not a progressive/conservative or left/right thing, it's just a "people" thing.