War as a Species Disorder

Abstract

The species-destructive potential of nuclear arms has lead to the growing perspective that the human race is suffering from some major disorder. Growing evidence suggests that all war is a type of species disorder. Contrary to the popular idea that war is rooted in our animal past and a perennial feature of human behavior, there are compelling reasons to believe that war is a dramatic deviation from the behavior of pre-human life forms, and that even within human evolution it is a relatively new development. This article suggests that war may be seen as a side effect of the development of the human cortex, producing a capacity for abstract, ideological meanings to override survival concerns. Various studies of personalities high in support of military behavior have found a tendency toward greater rigidity in cognitive processes, suggesting that such rigidity may play a role in overriding survival concerns. Certain paradigm shifts in Western culture are explored as having a corrective potential by emphasizing non-absolute and globalistic perspectives.