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This seems to be a function of rising living standards, so that the population is never tougher than they need to be. If we assume that toughness is a desirabl
by vidar 16y ago
This seems to be a function of rising living standards, so that the population is never tougher than they need to be. If we assume that toughness is a desirable attribute, is there a way to toughen people up, even if they don't "need it".
- _delirium 16y agoThat's one of the classic (Gibbon, I think) explanations for the fall of the Roman Empire: as their living standards rose, they got softer until a bunch of lower-living-standards barbarians could overrun them. Not sure of a solution, though. (It's probably also worth noting that that hypothesis isn't as popular among modern historians.)
- pg 16y agoSure, military training tends to do that.
- _delirium 16y agoWealthy societies tend to resist military training, though. I can't imagine a proposal to reinstitute the draft would be very popular in the US, and much of Europe is slowly phasing out their mandatory military service.