Evil Of War

Improved Essays
In history books the act if war is always alluded to as an act constructed by humans. Humanity is the only known species to have ever invented such a mechanism for control. But what is often missed is the fact that humans are a part of the animal kingdom and that us as biological creatures, along with the rest of the animals on the planet, have an innate biological wiring that triggers actions of war and violence. In pieces such as Margaret Mead’s “Warfare: An Invention – Not a Biological Necessity” and Edward O. Wilson’s “The Fitness of Human Nature”, lay down the foundation that war is an innate quality, contrasted by Charles Siebert’s “An Elephant Crackup?” where he shows that humans are the only creatures to ignite violence, which is not the case.
Organisms in the world are social or unsocial. But where the problem lies is that there are essentially no unsocial animals in the world. From the smallest bee
…show more content…
But in order to not have war humans, along with all other social creatures, would have to become unsocial, as stated by Margaret Mead all social creatures would have to get rid of “…classes…power…and possessions” (Mead 275). Mead also attempts to point the finger at humans for developing war and power by stating that “warfare” is just an invention created to allow the acquirement of prestige (Mead 279). The issue with Mead’s statement is that hierarchy in the animal kingdom is natural it has been established well before humans were created. Humans would have to act unnaturally in order to preserve peace. There would be no borders between countries since there would be nothing to worry about but at the same time there would be no advancement, no culture and the characteristic of being human is gone, all creatures would essentially be walking chemical reactions free from

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    War is considered by many to be one of humanity’s central traits as an advancing species and as such it holds a heavy influence on our past, present and future. From warring tribes in Africa during the dawn of man to the great Empires of Greece and Persia warfare has always been present, whether this war is for defense of a homeland and families, to conquest for more power and wealth or freedom from persecution and oppression. These forces drive mankind and have pushed us technologically and socially. While war may be a central aspect of mankind it is something that causes deep felt feelings and views that bring forward strong emotions in many people. It is from these deep feeling and emotions that we see famous poems created and revealed that…

    • 1801 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Americans have been fascinated with the concept of war for centuries. War has evolved from a last resort into an opportunity for America to prove its superiority against other countries, and to instill fear within the nation. In short, war is a grandiose weapon. In the novel, The New American Militarism: How Americans Are Seduced by War, Andrew J. Bacevich discusses the relationship that has existed and continues to exist between America and war. Although Bacevich is able to pinpoint a plethora of explanations as to how militarism has evolved into what it is now, he does not present a clear thesis.…

    • 1051 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    The Product of Fear War is one of the inevitable consequences of the fall of man. Fear is a major factor in beginning this mass conflict, called war. Elie Wiesel the author of the autobiography, Night includes a statement in his book of the fear he experienced when he was surviving the Holocaust, “I was the accuser, God the accused. My eyes had opened and I was alone, terribly alone in a world without God, without man” (68). This quote or statement from his book discusses fear as controlling his belief in God and doubting his survival.…

    • 1683 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    ‘I wonder what they are thinking.” So in the end, what are rights without war; what is territory without war; what is society without war? I believe that war has truly shaped history, and though is not considered by many to be a good thing; but we could, under no circumstances, live without it. This is why the Colliers are wrong, dead wrong.…

    • 480 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Rhetoric Countering War

    • 435 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Rhetoric Countering War Throughout history, war has become the only solution to resolving conflicts between nations or groups. War is often something that is started off with tension, tension which is often caused or started due to conflicts or disagreements between different nations or different groups, and it is commonly characterized by violence, resistance, and mortality. A few examples in American history are the American-Indian Wars and the Revolutionary War. These various groups of people firmly believed that the only way they could advocate for what they were passionate in was to use violence to express it. However, in the first chapter of Everyone’s An Author, Wayne Booth takes another perspective into consideration and is quoted,…

    • 435 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Victory at Any Cost “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” ~Vince Lombardi These influential words explain why humans choose to fight. Whether a board game, a sports competition, or something as serious as war, the drive to win fuels our existence. Since the beginning of human society men have competed to exert control over their neighbors, and this innate need for power will keep war from becoming outdated.…

    • 1447 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Even before World War One, the desire to abolish the cycle of war was apparent in civilized society. This was made apparent by William James with his essay “The Moral Equivalent of War”. In his essay, James argues through anecdotes and multiple viewpoints that another method besides warfare should be used to advance civilization. James utilizes perspective throughout his essay to strengthen his argument through an ethos appeal. Throughout his work, he consistently acknowledges two parties: pacifists and advocates of war.…

    • 463 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Violence has been a driving force behind change for the entirety of human history. Civilizations, religions, and even entire cultures have risen and fallen with the beat of the drums of war. In the present however, with the Dark Ages far behind, and humanity's feet firmly planted in the Age of Information, is it not time mankind begins to question its lust for conquest? Alan Brien once declared, "Violence is the repartee of the illiterate. "…

    • 155 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Section A: Plan of Investigation During the early stages of World War I, there was constant competition between countries to improve warfare to gain power and control. Major countries in the war began to use unusual techniques and innovative ways to complete tasks and increase casualties on the opposing side. This investigation will answer the question: To what extent did the use of animals in World War I affect the outcome of the war, along with the public opinion of animal warfare? This topic was chosen after noticing how animals’ skills, were applied to war as they worked side by side with soldiers.…

    • 1926 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    “Does Peace Have a Chance?” written by John Horgan was published in Slate magazine in 2009 on the topic of war and human nature. Horgan argues that, despite popular opinion, human nature is not innately violent and that peace is possible amongst the human race. The author supports his thesis through statistics on mortality caused by war, anthropological studies of hunter-gatherer societies, and the decline of large scale warfare. In general, Horgan’s essay style is effective in persuading the audience to consider his opinion after reading. Although the author makes poor comparisons and lacks in some definitions, he successfully utilises narration and description to engage the audience, prove the credibility of both himself and his facts, and…

    • 1037 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Article Review: Herfried Münkler (2003) ‘The wars of the 21st century’ This article review will critically analyze the aims, objective and findings within Herfried Münkler (2003) ‘The wars of the 21st century’. Primarily looking at the positives and negatives of the main arguments Münkler highlights as the prominent features of the twenty-first century and how such wars, constitute as ‘new wars’. The author explores three key features: asymmetry, demilitarization and the return of privatization and commercialization since the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The first section of this article review will outline Münkler’s article and summaries the key areas of which he focuses on.…

    • 1535 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Why Is War Bad

    • 1074 Words
    • 5 Pages

    There is no doubt that war is bad. but they are part of our reality. They exist because humans have not been able, after thousands of years of supposed civilization, to agree on basic issues of coexistence. It is the greatest catastrophe that can occur to humans. It brings death and destruction, the slaughter without mercy and carnage, disease and hunger, poverty and ruin in its wake.…

    • 1074 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Does globalization make war more or less likely? 160009668 War has been an unavoidable human convention for thousands of years; whether it to be for land, religion, or ideology, mankind has almost always been in one conflict or another. But since World War II, inter-state war has declined during the process of globalization. Globalization is the economic, political, and social interconnecting of the world. This process has made war, the physical conflict between states, difficult to occur and therefore less likely to occur.…

    • 1856 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Root Of War Research Paper

    • 1784 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Wars usually ended when one of leading groups of opponent either eliminated or surrendered. In international relations, the most necessary concerns are survival and security as well as the problem of conflicts. Indeed, wars have always been a part of human history. Almost 4 billion people have died during the more than 15000 violent conflict throughout the history.…

    • 1784 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Brett's War Theory

    • 1500 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The many factors of this framework can all lead peoples and states to attempt indirect approaches to warfare as they test the new balances of power and the limits of national and trans-national influences, or begin to influence resources and activities on the global commons. The following case studies are a small sampling to illustrate the applicability of Hart’s and Corbett’s…

    • 1500 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays