Description
Description
A richly absorbing book... Overy is unquestionably one of our finest living historians - The Daily Telegraph Why has warfare always been part of the human story?
From biology to belief, what explains the persistence of violent conflict?
What light can this shed on humanity's past - and its future? There can be few more important but also more contentious issues than attempting to understand the human propensity for conflict. Our history is inextricably tangled in wave after wave of inter-human fighting from as far back as we have records. Repeatedly humans have foresworn war, have understood its appalling risks and have wished to create more pacific, productive societies. And yet almost inevitably circumstances emerge under which war once more seems inevitable or even desirable How can we make sense of what Einstein called 'the dark places of human will and feeling'? Richard Overy draws on a lifetime's study of conflict to write this challenging account of how we can understand the causes of war. Looking at every facet of war from biology to belief, psychology to security, Overy allows readers to understand the many contradictory or self-reinforcing ways in which warfare can suddenly appear a legitimate option, and why it is likely to be part of our future as well as our past.
From biology to belief, what explains the persistence of violent conflict?
What light can this shed on humanity's past - and its future? There can be few more important but also more contentious issues than attempting to understand the human propensity for conflict. Our history is inextricably tangled in wave after wave of inter-human fighting from as far back as we have records. Repeatedly humans have foresworn war, have understood its appalling risks and have wished to create more pacific, productive societies. And yet almost inevitably circumstances emerge under which war once more seems inevitable or even desirable How can we make sense of what Einstein called 'the dark places of human will and feeling'? Richard Overy draws on a lifetime's study of conflict to write this challenging account of how we can understand the causes of war. Looking at every facet of war from biology to belief, psychology to security, Overy allows readers to understand the many contradictory or self-reinforcing ways in which warfare can suddenly appear a legitimate option, and why it is likely to be part of our future as well as our past.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
A brisk and wide-ranging survey of...our peerless talent for self-destruction.--Dominic Green "Wall Street Journal"
Richly absorbing.... There's wisdom aplenty in this small tome.--James Holland "Daily Telegraph"
With two front-page wars in full swing...Richard Overy's new book might attract as much attention as it deserves.... This truly is a book worth reading.--Edward N. Luttwak "Times Literary Supplement"
An excellent primer on the scholarship of war.... Given that wars will be part of our foreseeable future, we need to better understand why. The book is a great place to start.--Jeremy Hsu "New Scientist"
Overy skillfully parses the development of psychological, biological, ecological, and anthropological theories of war before moving on to the various motives that have been identified as triggers of war, from struggles over resources and beliefs to the more traditional factors of power and security. He concludes that no single theory explains war. The only safe assumption is that humanity is not close to a warless world. Overy's impressive range and erudition match his ambition.--Lawrence D. Freedman "Foreign Affairs"
An expert exploration of the title question...Astute if uncomfortable insights.--Kirkus Reviews, starred review
In this elegant, concise volume, one of the greatest living military historians gives a brilliant overview of the factors that have predisposed the human race to warfare and the specific factors that have most often served as the causes of war. Utterly fascinating and not to be missed.--David A. Bell, author of Men on Horseback: The Power of Charisma in the Age of Revolution
Acclaimed for surveying humanity's most deadly era in the middle of the twentieth century, Richard Overy now ranges across explanations for why violent conflict is so enduring a feature of human affairs. Our age of endless war makes the sprightly study that results as essential as it is eye-opening.--Samuel Moyn, author of Humane: How the United States Abandoned Peace and Reinvented War
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
W. W. Norton & Company
Pub date:
2025-10-07
Length:
312 pages
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