Synopses & Reviews
Our wars have become more lethal, yet the affinity for war hasn't changed. Why? As the entire world anticipates a lengthy war against terrorism, this intriguing study provides a new understanding of why people fight wars so frequently and ferociously. Former military psychologist Lawrence LeShan's piercing analysis reveals why war is often chosen over more peaceful solutions, and why it is so easy to get into a war and so hard to get out. Can peace be planned? How can we devise an "early warning system" for war? Are some government structures more prone to war than others?
Synopsis
"A timely and important book, Lewis H. Lapham, Editor, Harper's Magazine Lawrence's Leshan has written a stunning anatomy of a problem that the greatest thinkers have failed to solve, the question why humans so universally and frequently fight wars. Our wars have become more lethal, yet our affinity for war hasn't changed. His book explores the roots of war lust and the practical implications for society and pollical leadership:
- If war can be planned, can we plan peace, too?
- What are the psychological indicators for war, and how can they be used to develop "early warning systems"?
- Are some government structures more prone to war than to peace?
- What are the leadership styles that prevent and diminish conflict?
Unlike preceding attempts to explain the phenomenon psychologically, LeShan doesn't examine the motives that might lead to war, but the way in which our minds process information: When we go to war, our perception of reality of what we are and what is happening in the world around us is quite different from that which we commonly use in peacetime.
This "mythic" mode of thinking, as the author calls it, leads us to assumptions that we would not make during peacetime, such as: We are good, the other side is evil; we will "triumph over evil" if we win; our future will be safe and prosperous, etc. In the mythic mode, we develop a readiness to engage in war at all cost, even if the outcome is highly doubtful or a non-aggressive solution possible.
Synopsis
First published in 1992, this timely book is now brought back into print with a brand-new introduction.
About the Author
Lawrence LeShan is a psychologist, educator, and author or co-author of eleven books, including The Psychology of War; The Medium, The Mystic, and The Physicist (both with Helios Press); and the popular How to Meditate. He has worked as clinical psychologist, psychotherapist and researcher for more than 50 years, including six years of psychological service in the U.S. Army. He holds a M. S. in Psychology from the University of Nebraska and a Ph.D. in Human Development from the University of Chicago and has taught at Roosevelt University, Pace College, and the New School for Social Research, among other. He has lectured extensively in Europe, the United States, and Israel, and his books have been translated into eleven languages. He lives in New York City.