War: What is it good for? (Paperback)
The role of conflict in civilisation, from primates to robots
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A bold and controversial rethinking of the role of war in human history and how it will shape our future, sure to provoke debate, from the bestselling author of Why the West Rules - For Now.
War is one of the greatest human evils. It has ruined livelihoods, provoked unspeakable atrocities and left countless millions dead. It has caused economic chaos and widespread deprivation. And the misery it causes poisons foreign policy for future generations.
But, argues bestselling historian Ian Morris, in the very long term, war has in fact been a good thing. In his trademark style combining inter-disciplinary insights, scientific methods and fascinating stories, Morris shows that, paradoxically, war is the only human invention that has allowed us to construct peaceful societies. Without war, we would never have built the huge nation-states which now keep us relatively safe from random acts of violence, and which have given us previously unimaginable wealth. It is thanks to war that we live longer and more comfortable lives than ever before.
And yet, if we continue waging war with ever-more deadly weaponry, we will destroy everything we have achieved; so our struggles to manage warfare make the coming decades the most decisive in the history of our civilisation. In War: What Is It Good For? Morris brilliantly dissects humanity's history of warfare to draw startling conclusions about our future.
War: What is it good for? (Ebook)
The role of conflict in civilisation, from primates to robots
Buy from
A bold and controversial rethinking of the role of war in human history and how it will shape our future, sure to provoke debate, from the bestselling author of Why the West Rules - For Now.
War is one of the greatest human evils. It has ruined livelihoods, provoked unspeakable atrocities and left countless millions dead. It has caused economic chaos and widespread deprivation. And the misery it causes poisons foreign policy for future generations.
But, argues bestselling historian Ian Morris, in the very long term, war has in fact been a good thing. In his trademark style combining inter-disciplinary insights, scientific methods and fascinating stories, Morris shows that, paradoxically, war is the only human invention that has allowed us to construct peaceful societies. Without war, we would never have built the huge nation-states which now keep us relatively safe from random acts of violence, and which have given us previously unimaginable wealth. It is thanks to war that we live longer and more comfortable lives than ever before.
And yet, if we continue waging war with ever-more deadly weaponry, we will destroy everything we have achieved; so our struggles to manage warfare make the coming decades the most decisive in the history of our civilisation. In War: What Is It Good For? Morris brilliantly dissects humanity's history of warfare to draw startling conclusions about our future.
Reviews for War: What is it good for?
Niall Ferguson
Daily Telegraph
Boyd Tonkin Independent
Dominic Sandbrook Sunday Times
Richard Wrangham Demonic Males: Apes and the Origins of Human Violence, Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human
Jared Diamond Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed
Daron Acemoglu, coauthor of Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty
Anthony Pagden Worlds at War: The 2,500-Year Struggle Between East and Wes
Publishers Weekly
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Publishers Weekly
Praise for Why the West Rules - For Now:
'A great work of synthesis and argument, drawing together an awesome range of materials and authorities
'
Andrew Marr
Sunday Times
David S. Landes, author of The Wealth and Poverty of Nations
Robert Fox Evening Standard
David Crane The Spectator
Andrew Anthony Mail on Sunday
Sir Lawrence Freedman Financial Times
Edward Luttwak Prospect
Geographical
Martin Wolf Financial Times
Ian Morris
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