Why is it that humans' engage in war?

Question: Why is it that humans' engage in war!?
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

Because we have free will, we have disagreements!. Because we have disagreements, we have conflict!. Because we have conflict, we have those for whom using force is the easiest solution!. Hence, war!.

I read something interesting once; about the much vaunted Bio dome 2 Project!. The idea was that you could make a completely self-sustaining environment that supports a number of people, and the goal was for the people to maintain a self-sustaining habitat for a year!. However, once the project got underway, problems started arising!. For one thing; food production was far, far below expectations, resulting in food shortages!. The group convened, deciding to vote on what to do!. One part of them wanted to continue the project, the other felt it was prudent to cancel the project in the interest of safety!. These two opinions became so that the team split into two "factions", and loyalty to the faction became more important than the integrity of the mission, as disloyal behavior meant that less of the share of the food was going to that faction's members!. External researchers had to cancel the project because faction rivalries were becoming hostile!. The project mission itself was a failure, but valuable lessons were learned regarding anthropology; and the tendency of humanity to split itself into an us vs them mentality!. It remains an interesting study, and in my mind, perfectly demonstrates the reasons that we have nation-states, war, and xenophobia!. Scarce resources, and a sense of entitlement that drives people to see others as stealing their share of the pie!.

Unfortunately for the prime bio dome (the Earth), there are no external researchers willing to step in and get us to resolve our differences!. Scarcity of resources is a principle concept in economics, and it is what divides us!.

However, it is that sense of entitlement that drives men to war!. Private property is, by far, our greatest defense against this sort of naked atavism, as when a person is left to produce his own wealth, he has naught to blame for his misfalls but himself!.

Another interesting case study: ancient Athens!. Ancient Athenians were divided broadly into two categories: the cosmopolitan city-dwellers, and the farmers that lived in the countryside around the city!. The farmers mostly cared little for politics, and seldom ventured into the city to vote on issues!. Except for war!. For war meant two things for the farmers: 1, was that invading armies would pillage the countryside for food for their soldiers, and 2, was that war meant conscription, and destitution for the farmers who needed to be on their farms tending their crops!. The cosmopolitan Athenians were most often upper-middle class, who had little to loose in a war, but everything to gain through war booty!. The city-dwellers would soon grow to resent the anti-war farmers, and their derisive word for the simple-minded farmers who "obviously" couldn't comprehend the glory to be had in war, was "Idiot"!. Eventually, the more numerous city-dwellers would go on to pass legislation stonewalling the farmer's attempts to vote against war, citing their lack of "patriotism"!.And Athens, perpetually at war, was never in history anything more than a regional power!.

A final case study, one that is probably most familiar with us, is the diplomacy of the U!.S with regards to Soviet Russia and with regards to modern China!. The U!.S and Russia were never large trading partners, with the exception of American economic aid that never went repaid by the thoroughly ungrateful Russians!. In fact, at one point in its history, It was more profitable for the Soviet Union to sell its grain in Europe and rely on Western food aid to feed its citizens! In any event, because economic cooperation was so muted between the two superpowers, they were perpetually on the brink of war with one another!. Compare that to America's relationship with China!. Americans and Chinese (particularly their governments) don't particularly like each other, but war is impossible between the two powers!. War would mean economic ruin for both countries, as America would loose its number one manufacturing base, and China would loose its number one customer!

Remember when OPEC boycotted the United States in the 70's, resulting in a huge spike in Gas prices!? (it was up to 5 unadjusted dollars per gallon, almost 15 dollars a gallon in 2009 dollars)!. OPEC soon had to relent on the boycott, because they were basically shooting themselves in the foot economically by not trading with the United States!. To this day, OPEC has never again allowed itself to become a political tool, citing economic necessity over ideology, as some countries, like Iran, rely on oil for almost 80% of their state revenues!.

So what we see is that when there is a sense of entitlement, when one person believes everything that he sees to be his, there is conflict!. War, it can be said, is literally theft on a grand scale, economically speaking!. However, when men are bound by a social contract to respect the property of others, they must deal with each others as equals, for alienating oneself from those around him is simply bad for business!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Because human creates slaughterhouses of innocent animlas, therefore the laws of nature creates slaughterhouses for humans!.
It is ignorance that compels us to slaughter from 35 to 40 million cows a year!. When we buy the nicely-wrapped meat in the market, we have no idea of the suffering we are bringing ourselves by this act!.
In this Age, the propensity for mercy is almost nil!. Consequently, there is always fighting and wars between men and nations!. Men do not understand that because they unrestrictedly kill so many animals, they also must be slaughtered like animals in big wars!. Sometimes during war, soldiers keep their enemies in concentration camps and kill them in very cruel ways!. These are reactions brought about by unrestricted animal-killing in the slaughterhouse!. As long as human society continues to allow cows to be regularly killed in slaughterhouses, there cannot be any question of peace!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Vexatious thanatophilic psychosis (VTP) is the cause of war!. It's what makes Hamas think that it's really just a splendid idea to fire missiles into Israel, aimed at population centers, inhabited buy civilians including women, children, and non-combatants!.

That is a splendid idea because of X, Y, and Z, and people with VTP feel that some variables could be filled in to X, Y and Z, which really would make the idea splendid!. Maybe something about "occupation" or "checkpoints" or some sort of "rights"!.

Mentally healthy people can immediately understand that there is absolutely nothing that could be filled in as X, Y, or Z that would make the idea splendid!.

And if we add the fact that a good ***-kicking is 100% likely to result from the idea, and that the idea will also cause local civilian casualties (not the "leaders" (cowards) of course, they are all in deep hiding after they order up their splendid idea) then it's clear that only a psychotic would go forward!.

This psychosis is not deterable because the mentally ill person wants death, loves death, seeks death!. So no rational calculation will avail to deter the splendid idea!.

The only palliative (it is not a cure, just a palliative) is for all civilian populations everywhere in the world to be trained to immediately identify persons living in their midst who are victims of VTP and to report those persons to local authorities who will then proceed to incarcerate the VTP victims!.

This form of mental illness, is not like AIDS or Typhoid, or Leprosy!. It will kill thousands of innocents if it's not quickly identified and sequestered from the general population!. All civilized populations should be trained to look for it, find it if its there, root it out, and isolate it by prison or by ex-migration to some empty area -- like Devil's Island (see Papillion)!.

The Gazans don't deserve the beating they got, but maybe they do, because they allowed the Hamas VTP victims to live in their midst!.

The short answer: mental illness is the cause of war, and the cure is isolation of the VTP-afflicted, not letting them live among populations of innocent non-combatants!. There is no known treatment (winning the hearts and minds of VTP-afflicted people), there is no deterrence due to the internal structure of the psychosis!. But isolation would work!. It would save mankind from war!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I answered a very similar question here (sources included):
http://answers!.yahoo!.com/question/index;!.!.!.

(My answer's kinda long, that's why I didn't just retype it!.)Www@QuestionHome@Com

Because there are leaders with confident or luck, and than there are those leaders willing to defend against the same confident or luck!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

We are talking, hypercortical* apes with delusions of grandeur; as such we tend to behave like monkeys!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Human are controlled by the production of two main hormones!.!.!.fear and anger!.!.!.fear is short lived which causes most to resort to violence as a result of anger!.!.!.!.many are to proud to run!.!.!.so the angry fight!Www@QuestionHome@Com

In life, you cannot get what you desires without fighting for it!.

That is what some people consider as "FAIR" game for all!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

A few people who command many people decide that a disagreement is worth the death of others!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

We, war because we have been taught for too long that we are better than other men, and when those told they were below us finally get fed up with it there is war!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

PowerWww@QuestionHome@Com

misunderstanding on some level- as obscure as that level may be!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Because they are humans!.
Read John G Stoessinger's WHY NATIONS GO TO WAR!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Some folks evolve and some become "neocons"!Www@QuestionHome@Com

The answer is simple, it's because we desire POWER!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

because we haven't learnedWww@QuestionHome@Com

greedWww@QuestionHome@Com

We still aren't done evolving!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Come take my TV and I'll show you :-)Www@QuestionHome@Com