Our Brains at War: The Neuroscience of Conflict and Peacebuilding

by Mari Fitzduff

Our Brains at The Neuroscience of Conflict and Peacebuilding suggests that we need a radical change in how we think about war, leadership, and politics. Most of us, political scientists included, fail to appreciate the extent to which instincts and emotions, rather than logic, factor into our societal politics and international wars. Many of our physiological and genetic tendencies, of which we are mostly unaware, can all too easily fuel our antipathy towards other groups, make us choose 'strong' leaders over more mindful leaders, assist recruitment for illegal militias, and facilitate even the most gentle of us to inflict violence on others. Drawing upon the latest research from emerging areas such as behavioral genetics, biopsychology, and social and cognitive neuroscience, this book identifies the sources of compelling instincts and emotions, and how we can acknowledge and better manage them so as to develop international and societal peace more effectively.

216 pages, Hardcover

Published May 25, 2021

Reviews

[Desmond · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book explains why so much of intra/inter state war is irrational because of our evolutionary history. Collects together inputs in an interdisciplinary fashion that illuminates the problem we face as humans in acting together. There are no easy solutions.