Carmela Yom-Tov
What keeps war - a pathological killing frenzy - alive and well, even in the 21st century?Aggression, and so war, is deeply embedded in our very DNA. To survive as a species, we need aggression to protect ourselves. But this innate aggression requires a perfect storm of external circumstances to escalate into war. War is never the result of one factor such as religion, nationalism or scarce resources. This book, through intriguing experiments and stories, examines the biological, psychological, societal and political triggers of war: our testosterone; our need to belong and conform; our loyalty to authority figures even if foolish and irrational; the glorification of war; the divisiveness of religion; and international political dramas feeding fear, xenophobia and conflict.Clinical psychologist, Dr Carmela Yom-Tov, horrified by the devastation of war, explores the riddle of war’s perseverance through human history. Are we nothing more than sophisticated monkeys?
