Can men live without war? (1956)

Is War Inevitable? Human Nature vs. Culture

• Many argue war is rooted in evolved traits: territoriality, greed, in‑group/out‑group bias, leader worship, and enjoyment of harming out-groups.
• Others stress cultural contingency: organized, industrial war requires institutions, ideology, and business interests, not just biology.
• Several note every known culture has had violence, but some commenters think education and cultural evolution could still substantially reduce it, though skeptics call this utopian.

Leadership, Politics, and Aggressive Minorities

• A recurring view: a small minority is highly territorial/power-seeking; a larger group admires and follows them.
• There is concern that modern systems (elections, media, parasocial worship) systematically elevate such personalities.
• Some suggest redirecting dominance drives into sports, business, or intellectual competition, though others doubt this scales or is widely rewarded.

Nuclear Weapons, Deterrence, and Proxy Wars

• Thread debates “war between nuclear powers doesn’t happen”: examples like India–Pakistan and Sino‑Soviet clashes are cited as counterexamples, though they remained conventional.
• Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) is seen as the main brake on great‑power war, but multiple close calls and differing doctrines (tactical vs strategic nukes, “warning shots”) make long‑term stability uncertain.
• Ukraine is widely framed as a dangerous proxy conflict: some expect any large Ukrainian advance into Russia could trigger nuclear use; others highlight declared Western “consequential” but non‑nuclear responses.
• Some think nuclear weapons are a net deterrent; others see them as an inevitable, potentially species‑ending risk.

Guns, Force, and Monopolies on Violence

• One subthread imagines a world ban on firearms enforced by a global force.
• Critics say this only centralizes power, is technically unenforceable (DIY weapons, 3D printing), and leaves populations vulnerable to that monopoly.
• Debate over whether firearms “equalize” power (weak vs strong, citizens vs state) versus clearly increasing everyday lethality and social harm.

Economics, Scarcity, and Alternatives to War

• Several frame war as rational under scarcity: if force is cheaper than trade, war happens.
• Others argue post‑WWII economic systems (e.g., trade regimes) shifted incentives toward buying resources instead of conquering, though this is criticized as naïve given coups, sanctions, and power imbalances.
• Scarcity of land and resources is seen as a deep driver; proposals include eliminating artificial scarcity, long‑term depopulation via choice, or off‑planet expansion—none seen as near‑term fixes.

War, Progress, and Future Trajectories

• Some maintain war strongly drives technological and social change and national modernization; others counter that this “progress” is often catastrophic.
• A few foresee eventual cultural maturation to a “pacified humanity” as the only sustainable long‑term path; others see periodic great wars as a near‑natural cycle.
• There is modest discussion of personal exit (emigration, expat life) as a future response to conscription or nationalist mobilization.