[extropy-chat] Back to Causes of War

[BillK]

On 4/29/07, Lee Corbin wrote:
<snip>
>
> P.S. I'll get around to Professor Gat's paper presently, and start a new
> thread if it seems appropriate.  I will also respond to some very interesting
> but snipped parts of your post that aren't actually germane to this thread.


You don't get off that easy!  ;)

The paper was published in 2000.

Gat has since updated his research by publishing 'War in Human Civilization'.
Hardcover: 848 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (October 23, 2006)
<http://www.amazon.com/War-Human-Civilization-Azar-Gat/dp/0199262136>

Book Description
Why do people go to war? Is it rooted in human nature or is it a late
cultural invention? How does war relate to the other fundamental
developments in the history of human civilization? And what of war
today - is it a declining phenomenon or simply changing its shape? In
this truly global study of war and civilization, Azar Gat sets out to
find definitive answers to these questions in an attempt to unravel
the 'riddle of war' throughout human history, from the early
hunter-gatherers right through to the unconventional terrorism of the
twenty-first century. In the process, the book generates an
astonishing wealth of original and fascinating insights on all major
aspects of humankind's remarkable journey through the ages, engaging a
wide range of disciplines, from anthropology and evolutionary
psychology to sociology and political science.

There are three enthusiastic customer reviews.

A less enthusiastic review is here:
<http://www.socialaffairsunit.org.uk/blog/archives/001277.php>


This wikipedia article discusses the many causes of war
(incl. references to Azar Gat)
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War>


BillK