The Psychohistory of Warfare: The Co-Evolution of Culture, Psyche and Enemy

Abstract

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.