Warfare and Violence

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the history of warfare and violence among humankind from an anthropological perspective. It further analyzes the differing theories about the origins of human violence. The outlooks of various schools of thought, including those of the naturalists, socio biologists, cultural determinists and structural functionalists are presented. The paper concludes by stating that by studying the many philosophies regarding violence and warfare, we begin to form a multi-layered, complex picture of the human condition.

From the Paper:

"The history of aggression and warfare in the human species predates the actually established formation of what is recognized as Human. Indeed, even in the insect world we see organized struggles between two obvious groups within the same species. However, there is a great deal of speculation as to the nature of fighting and warfare amongst our own kind. Is this a behavior that is in-born, or is it a response to outside stimuli? Is it the evil tool of males, or is it an endeavor that is supported by the whole of society? Is war a necessary evil, or is it an activity that we may, one day, rise above? Many answers have been proposed over the span of our modern academic tradition, and we will be briefly discussing just a few here, perhaps shedding a bit of light on this dilemma."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Keegan, John. A History of Warfare. New York: Alfred A Knopf, 1993.
• Wrangham, Richard, and Peterson, Dale. Demonic Males. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1996.

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