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Not at all, upset away! I do think Pinker is of a higher calibre than Gladwell but ever since reading Dawkin's (in the God Delusion) vague idea of some eternal
by internaut 10y ago
Not at all, upset away!
I do think Pinker is of a higher calibre than Gladwell but ever since reading Dawkin's (in the God Delusion) vague idea of some eternal progress towards 'Progress' (which he called the Zeitgeist) I haven't seen much substantiating why outbreaks of violence should decline asymptotically. A handful of modern bombs would disturb that nice little chart. Seems like cycles are more likely, perhaps contingent on solar cycles. If we don't understand why we go to war (I find most explanations too high level and utterly unconvincing) we should not predict peace. Things can and do turn on a dime.
- ktRolster 10y agoIf we don't understand why we go to war (I find most explanations too high level and utterly unconvincing) Fear, greed, or ideology. Those were the three reasons the Greeks came up with.
- jessaustin 10y agoFear and ideology are usually smokescreens for that other reason, at least on the aggressor's side.
- ktRolster 10y agoYou're like the blind man who can only feel one part of the elephant. You can see greed, but you don't see the other two reasons.
- CocaKoala 10y agoWell, you can break "why does a country go to war" into two separate questions: first, why has war been declared? And second, why do the soldiers enlist and willingly go? You can probably put together a decent argument saying "The second War in Iraq was because of oil", but I haven't heard any stories of soldiers who signed up and came out of their deployment with the rights to an oil well. If you want to have a discussion about the motivations for war, it seems foolish to ignore the motivations of the boots on the ground that are actually making shit happen out there.
- Aelinsaar 10y agoI like the modern inclusion of Compromise and Coercion.
- ktRolster 10y agoCompromise causes war?
- Aelinsaar 10y agoNot reaching a compromise between two parties, but "Being compromised". In the formulation of why people betray their countries, M.I.C.E = Money Ideology Coercion/Compromise Ego. In that sense, compromising someone would entail (often) some small act that crossed a line, which was then used as a lever to cross further and further until they were in too deep, and were an asset.