Penguin
I read an interview with Diamond in the United Airlines in-flight magazine. He talks about the modern Western way of war, which recognizes a moral distinction between combatants and non-combatants, contrasting them with certain traditional societies which have no hesitation to kill children.
The doctrine of limited warfare arose gradually in the West and was precipiated by Christianity? Destroy an entire society was not unknown to the Jews, though it has been questioned by contemporary Christians and scholars whether this was actually ordered by God or not. It seems that one pattern was to kill all the males while females were taken captive. Does Diamond remark upon the impact of Christianity on our conduct of war? Or did this merely happen as a result of "progress" or "civilization"?
He also compares the members of "traditional" societies with our vets who suffer ptsd. The former suffer no ill effects, no hesitation to kill. How does this square with Dave Grossman's contention that we have a natural aversion to killing another human being? What sort of rituals and psychological mechanisms are present in traditional societies that facilitate the taking of human lives in war? And how is the inclination to kill developed and enhanced? Is the lack of a hesitation a sign of nature, or "second nature," habit acquired through training? Perhaps Diamond goes into greater depth in his comparison and analysis within the book.
NPR interview
UCLA Magazine
Live on Earth
On Point with Tom Ashbrook
Guardian
KUOW News
'Collapse' in Congress: Lawmakers should learn from tribal elders
More philosophy masquerading as "anthropology"? Sure, there is data - observations being reported, but what of the interpretation that is in the judgments made in observing and the subsequent interpretations made when the observations are reviewed and taken as a whole? How well can an outsider understand a different culture, without becoming a part of it, learning its language, and so on? Anthropologists do learn the language, but is this sufficient?
More of Jared Diamond:
How Societies Fail - And Sometimes Succeed
The Evolution of Religions
another interview
Lt. Col. Grossman on Glenn Beck: How do we stop the next Sandy Hook? Glenn talks with Dave Grossman about gun violence in schools
Paul Howe, Second Amendment and the Kool-Aid Drinkers
Misc:
Of course they have to include several women: Buzzfeed - 10 Modern Military Heroes You Should Know About
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