I also argue that the capacity of our society to solve social problems is hampered by the excessive focus on persons rather than structural causes. Warlike and Peaceful Societies offers several historical examples that confirm this prediction. Regality theory also predicts that powerful political leaders are likely to deceive their own population and exaggerate or fabricate collective dangers in order to strengthen their own position. The results of these tests are in excellent agreement with the theory. The predictions of this theory are tested with statistical data from both contemporary and ancient ‘primitive’ societies. This new theory – called regality theory – can explain causal relationships between war or collective danger and a lot of different social phenomena, such as authoritarianism, nationalism, xenophobia, and patriarchy, as well as changes in religious feelings, artistic taste, and sexual morals. I argue that this response pattern has evolved because it is the most efficient way to overcome the collective action problem in war. There is a well-known psychological response pattern that makes people prefer a strong leader in the event of collective danger, but not in the event of peace and safety. My book presents a new theory that can explain such diversity based on evolutionary mechanisms. A whole society can develop in different directions, ranging from the warlike and authoritarian to the peaceful and tolerant, without anybody actually understanding why. I am explaining how a lot of social developments happen as a consequence of the combined effect of the actions of a large number of people, often without anybody understanding the consequences of their own contribution to the big picture. Too many studies have concluded that things happen because influential persons have decided so, without considering the mechanisms that made these persons influential. Warlike and Peaceful Societies will improve our understanding of social developments and make up for the dearth of testable theories in social science. This new book is the result of many years of research on the mechanisms that drive different societies in different directions – from the most peaceful and tolerant to the most warlike and imperialistic. Why has Afghanistan changed in a few decades from being a relatively relaxed and tolerant society to one of the most authoritarian and fanatical societies in the world? And why were women allowed to wear miniskirts in Afghanistan in the 1960s while they were forced to wear burqas under the Taliban? This dramatic social change is just one of many examples of social developments that my new book Warlike and Peaceful Societies tries to answer by applying a combination of biological and cultural theories.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |