The Psychohistory of Warfare: The Co-Evolution of Culture, Psyche and Enemy
| Author | Ofer Zur |
| DOI | 10.1177/002234338702400203 |
| Published date | 01 June 1987 |
| Date | 01 June 1987 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
The
Psychohistory
of
Warfare:
The
Co-Evolution
of
Culture,
Psyche
and
Enemy
OFER
ZUR
California
Institute
of
Integral
Studies
The
commonly
held
belief
that
there
have
always
been
wars
is
documented,
and
its
implications
for
the
inevitability
of
war
are
explored.
Against
this
belief
is
placed
a
new
definition
of
war
as
a
social
institution
that
was
born
with
civilization
about
13,000
years
ago.
War
is
dissociated
from
mere
violence,
aggression
and
homicide,
and
is
presented
as
a
reflection
of
the
culture
rather
than
a
pathology
that
can
be
eradicated.
Thus,
the
presumed
innate
tendency
to
make
war
and
the
inevitability
of
war
are
challenged.
This
paper
takes
a
psychohistorical
approach
to
warfare
and
describes
the
co-evolution
of
warfare
and
culture.
Six
types
of
warfare
are
described:
(a)
Primitive/ritualistic,
(b)
political/greedy,
(c)
Heroic/
aggrandizing,
(d)
Holy/defense
of
God,
(e)
Defensive/protecting
one’s
group/country,
(f)
Terrorist
and
guerrilla/defense
against
an
invisible
inner
enemy.
As
these
cultures
of
warfare
are
described,
two
major
themes
are
emphasized:
the
evolution
and
consistency
of
the
goals
and
modes
of
each
warfare,
and
the
changing
concept
of
the
enemy.
The
activity
of
’enemizing’
is
presented
and
psychologically
analyzed.
By
arguing
that
there
have
not
always
been
wars
and
that
warmakmg
is
not
part
of
human
nature,
combined
with
the
observation
that
war
and
culture
co-evolve,
this
paper
provides
hope
for
the
preservation
of
life
on
the
planet
and
the
prevention
of
nuclear
war.
ISSN
0022-3433
Journal
of
Peace
Research,
vol.
24,
no.
2,
1987
1.
On
the
Myth
that
There
Have
Always
Been
Wars
’War
is
the
father
of
all
things’.
Heraclitus
of
Ephesus
’The
history
of
war
is
the
history
of
man’.
Rieberhart,
1945
’War
is
like
love,
it
always
finds
a
way’.
Berthold
Brecht
’War
is
the
strength
of
life’.
Wilham
James
’Human
nature
will
make
you
fight.
Everyone
is
subject
to
human
nature’.
Bhagavadggita
There
seems
to
be
an
agreement
among
phil-
osophers,
historians,
poets,
behavioral
scien-
tists
and
laymen
that
since
the
emergence
of
homo
sapiens,
humans
have
repeatedly
and
continuously
waged
wars.
Recent
research
has
revealed
that
indeed
most
college
students
in
California
respond
positively
to
the
question:
’Have
there
always
been
wars?’
(Zur
1986).
If
we
believe
that
there
have
always
been
wars,
then
war
must
certainly
be
an
inevitability,
and
even
the
most
optimistic
nature
will falter
at
the
prospect
of
trying
to
change
what
has
always
been.
From
the
basic
premise
that
there
have
always
been
wars
flows
a
stream
of
logic
which
leads
inexorably
to
the
conclusion
that
war
is
an
inescapable
part
of
the
human
condition.
Indeed
Zur
(1986)
reports
that
most
college
students
also
responded
to
the
question
’Is
war
part
of
human
nature?’
with
’Regretfully,
yes’.
Underlying
the
belief
that
there
have
always
been
wars
is
the
belief
that
humans
are
aggressive
in
nature.
Wars,
then,
are
seen
as
a
means
to
periodically
ventilate
the
accumulated
innate
aggression
of
human
beings.
The
making
of
war
is
viewed
as
a
kind
of
an
instinct,
a
genetic
human
pre-
disposition.
If
we
believe
that
there
have
always
been
wars,
that
war
is
instinctual,
we
can
do
little
more
than
idly
question
what
it
is
in
human
nature
that
makes
this
so
and
wonder
how
long
it
will
be
before
we
kill
each
other.
These
days
it
is
not
easy
to
philo-
sophically
accept
the
inevitability
of
war.
Just
forty
years
ago
it
was
a
bit
simpler.
Forty
years
ago
we
hadn’t
yet
split
the
atom.
If,
however,
the
belief
that
there
have
always
been
wars
is
shown
to
be
only
a
myth,
then
we
can
begin
to
break
away
from
the
fatalistic
strain
of
thought
that
for
so
long
has colored
our
perception
of
what
wars
are
and what
wars
have
been.
And,
similarly,
it
becomes
obvious
that
the
tendency
to
make
war
is
not
inherent
in
human
nature.
Myths,
or
commonly
held
beliefs,
are
important,
not
necessarily
for
their
scientific
truth,
but
for
their
meaning
and
implication
for
the
individuals
and
society
who
believe
in
them.
Beliefs
are
linked
to
attitudes
and
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