[extropy-chat] 300 and the Gates of Fire

Keith Henson hkhenson at rogers.com
Mon Mar 12 20:20:16 UTC 2007


At 06:29 PM 3/11/2007 -0700, Stuart LaForge wrote:

>--- Amara Graps <amara at amara.com> wrote:
>
> > BillK and others:
> >
> > This has probably occurred to you, but if not:
> >
> > The Spartans, were as different from the Athenians
> > as one could possibly
> > be, yet at the end, they were the people who likely
> > saved them.
> >
> > Isn't that interesting?  Now do you see why I don't
> > think it is wise
> > to reject that part of ourselves?
>
>I certainly do, Amara. I have ever since I read "The
>Lion in the Gateway" when I was twelve. The Spartans
>are an archetype of courage, skill, and tactical
>prowess. The battle of Thermopylae is a textbook
>example of the power of proper choice of battlefield
>that is still discussed in military schools today.
>
>As far as your more general point goes, I agree with
>you there as well. There is a large amount of utility
>in warriors, weapons, and the martial arts. Whether
>that utility is positive or negative in sign depends
>mostly on which side of the thin red line you are on.

And *why* is there utility?  I.e., why do people fight wars at all?

http://cniss.wustl.edu/workshoppapers/gatpres1.pdf

Anthropological Quarterly, 73.1 (2000), 20-34.
THE HUMAN MOTIVATIONAL COMPLEX :
EVOLUTIONARY THEORY AND THE CAUSES OF
HUNTER-GATHERER FIGHTING
Azar Gat
Part I: Primary Somatic and Reproductive Causes

snip

Keith Henson




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