How do we break the cycle of endless wars?

 It is wishful thinking on the part of Mr Harare (author of Sapiens) to believe that there have been long periods of human history where peace predominated.     

As history is one unending tale of misery and woe, he refers to prehistory  (ie archaeological and palaeontological evidence) to assert this claim, but as knowledge of what our prehistoric ancestors got up in their day to day lives is extremely limited, I would say that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.

I would point out that primate behaviour does include troop warfare and killings, and, as  we evolved from the apes, I think it is highly unlikely that in the gap between the apes and our historic period, there is an idyllic “garden of eden” when humans didn’t fight each other.

Humans need to face up to what they are - which isn’t very nice - and only then will be able to address the problem and change our nature.

We should start by asking  why do we fight wars? Taking the current war, the Ukrainians are fighting for their survival and Russia is fighting because it believes it can win. Russia would not have invaded if it was not sure it could not.                

The economic and technological advantage of one group over another means that the leaders of the more powerful country will profit from the war thus increasing power and status of that country. The temptation of easy pickings is too great if you have machine guns and your opponents have swords.
The leaders, elites and warriors want to increase their wealth status and power, and if poorly defended peoples of a different culture are nearby, the easy way to get it is to raid, war and kill, using your technological advantage, rather than trade, negotiate or co operate. Humans take the easiest path, not the right path.

So why do males, (rarely do females fight) want more wealth status and power? The answer comes from evolutionary biology. Powerful, wealthy, high status men get the best pick of the women and lets face up to it, women like powerful, wealthy high status men, who will provide excellent homes, protection and support to bring up their offspring. Aren’t 50% of people in Asia descended from Genghis khan? Didn’t Russian soldiers rape lots of German women at the end of the second world war? Do homeless men have wives or girlfriends?

So to stop wars we have to change human nature, or more bluntly female sexual selection. If women no longer see the profits of war as a peacocks tail, war would stop instantly. If women said, on mass “you fight a war - no sex” peace would come swiftly. I’m not a misogynist, I love my partner and women, and I’m not blaming women for wars - men, not women fight wars, I’m just trying to highlight a way of breaking the cycle of humans fighting wars for ever more.

History can only teach us so much. Humans are animals with atomic weapons and need to evolve fast. Education should not specialise if humans are to become wise.

TV footage of the horrors of war should not be censored. Everyone should see what humans do to other humans and be revolted by it. The truth will bring about change.