Why Not Kill Them All?: The Logic and Prevention of Mass Political MurderPrinceton University Press, 2 sept. 2008 - 288 pagini Genocide, mass murder, massacres. The words themselves are chilling, evoking images of the slaughter of countless innocents. What dark impulses lurk in our minds that even today can justify the eradication of thousands and even millions of unarmed human beings caught in the crossfire of political, cultural, or ethnic hostilities? This question lies at the heart of Why Not Kill Them All? Cowritten by historical sociologist Daniel Chirot and psychologist Clark McCauley, the book goes beyond exploring the motives that have provided the psychological underpinnings for genocidal killings. It offers a historical and comparative context that adds up to a causal taxonomy of genocidal events. Rather than suggesting that such horrors are the product of abnormal or criminal minds, the authors emphasize the normality of these horrors: killing by category has occurred on every continent and in every century. But genocide is much less common than the imbalance of power that makes it possible. Throughout history human societies have developed techniques aimed at limiting intergroup violence. Incorporating ethnographic, historical, and current political evidence, this book examines the mechanisms of constraint that human societies have employed to temper partisan passions and reduce carnage. Might an understanding of these mechanisms lead the world of the twenty-first century away from mass murder? Why Not Kill Them All? makes clear that there are no simple solutions, but that progress is most likely to be made through a combination of international pressures, new institutions and laws, and education. If genocide is to become a grisly relic of the past, we must fully comprehend the complex history of violent conflict and the struggle between hatred and tolerance that is waged in the human heart. |
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... occur is an important step toward understanding some of the dire conflicts that exist in today's world, and it can provide a foundation for policies aimed at reducing and limiting violent conflict. That can greatly reduce the potential ...
... occurred, modern nations have in one aspect raised the stakes of conflicts by turning us all into jealous tribes. This was the norm when humans lived in small-scale societies, but then our numbers were small. It became less common as ...
... on a lesser scale are usually avoided. It is when the mechanisms for conflict mitigation break down, or new situations occur in which such mechanisms have not yet been developed, that the Are We Killers or Peacemakers? 9.
... occur. By examining conflict-limiting mechanisms both in pre-state and state societies, we believe we can better understand the general phenomenon of mass killing. Human beings are not by nature either bloody monsters or peaceful angels ...
... up to 2.5 million died. Most of these deportations and deaths took place in the last year of World War II, but more than half a million deaths occurred after the war, particularly in deportations from Poland and Czechoslovakia.
Cuprins
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11 | |
The Psychological Foundations of Genocidal Killing | 51 |
Why Is Limited Warfare More Common Than Genocide? | 95 |
Strategies to Decrease the Chances of Mass Political Murder in Our Time | 149 |
Our Question Answered | 211 |
References | 219 |
Index | 249 |
Alte ediții - Afișează-le pe toate
Why Not Kill Them All?: The Logic and Prevention of Mass Political Murder Daniel Chirot,Clark McCauley Previzualizare limitată - 2010 |
Why Not Kill Them All?: The Logic and Prevention of Mass Political Murder Daniel Chirot,Clark McCauley Previzualizare limitată - 2006 |
Why Not Kill Them All?: The Logic and Prevention of Mass Political Murder Daniel Chirot,Clark McCauley Previzualizare limitată - 2008 |