Constant Battles: Why We Fight (Paperback)

Steven A. LeBlanc

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Language: English

Published by Griffin, New York, 2004

0312310900 / 9780312310905

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Paperback. With armed conflict in the Persian Gulf now upon us, Harvard archaeologist Steven LeBlanc takes a long-term view of the nature and roots of war, presenting a controversial thesis: The notion of the "noble savage" living in peace with one another and in harmony with nature is a fantasy. In "Constant Battles: The Myth of the Peaceful, Noble Savage," LeBlanc contends that warfare and violent conflict have existed throughout human history, and that humans have never lived in ecological balance with nature. The start of the second major U.S. military action in the Persian Gulf, combined with regular headlines about spiraling environmental destruction, would tempt anyone to conclude that humankind is fast approaching a catastrophic end. But as LeBlanc brilliantly argues, the archaeological record shows that the warfare and ecological destruction we find today fit into patterns of human behavior that have gone on for millions of years. "Constant Battles" surveys human history in terms of social organization-from hunter gatherers, to tribal agriculturalists, to more complex societies. LeBlanc takes the reader on his own digs around the world — from New Guinea to the Southwestern U.S. to Turkey — to show how he has come to discover warfare everywhere at every time. His own fieldwork combined with his archaeological, ethnographic, and historical research, presents a riveting account of how, throughout human history, people always have outgrown the carrying capacity of their environment, which has led to war. Ultimately, though, LeBlanc's point of view is reassuring and optimistic. As he explains the roots of warfare in human history, he also demonstrates that warfare today has far less impact than it did in the past. He also argues that, as awareness of these patterns and the advantages of modern technology increase, so does our ability to avoid war in the future. LeBlanc brilliantly argues that warfare has been a part of human existence throughout history. He uncovers a six-million-year-old equation of population growth, resource stress, and warfare as he surveys the archaeological, ethnographic, and historical records from cultures around the world. This distinguished book explores the implications of his findings by considering if humans are doomed by genetic heritage to fight each other, and arrives at a hopeful conclusion: by understanding why humans fought in the past, modern man, with technology and awareness, can avoid warfare in the future. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780312310905

Title
Constant Battles: Why We Fight (Paperback)
Author
Steven A. LeBlanc
Publisher
Griffin, New York
Publication year
2004
Condition
new
Binding
Paperback
Language
English
ISBN 10
0312310900
ISBN 13
9780312310905

Grand Eagle Retail

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