Description
Book SynopsisHuman evolutionary history has affected the way we process the information we use to make decisions. The result is that human choices and calculations may be very different from those predicted by standard models of rational behavior. This notion is particularly true in the area of war and peace.
Trade Review"This is a lucid, beautifully-written, informative and provocative book. It presents the modern science of choice and decision persuasively."
—Thomas Schelling, University of Maryland"
War and Human Nature holds the potential to open an entirely new area of insight into war. It will provide a new way of thinking about the collapse of armies, the choices and behaviors of tyrants, and the way in which differing elite selection mechanisms may wittingly or otherwise lead to individuals with differing cognitive profiles ending up in office. The use of the cognitive science literature is novel and provides insight into an area of research social scientists typically ignore."
—Allan C. Stam, Dartmouth College"A thought-provoking, timely synthesis of political decision-making in light of recent progress in neurobiology, psychology and behavioral biology. Rosen explores an intriguing new formulation of biologically-motivated political science."
—Michael L. Platt, Duke UniversityTable of ContentsAcknowledgments vii Chapter One: Introduction 1 Chapter Two: Emotions, Memory, and Decision Making 27 Chapter Three: Status, Testosterone, and Dominance 71 Chapter Four: Stress, Distress, and War Termination 99 Chapter Five: Of Time, Testosterone, and Tyrants 135 Chapter Six: Where Do We Go from Here? 179 Notes 185 Index 205
