Social construction of war

Christian Century, Jan 25, 2003

Since the time of Herodotus (fifth century B.C.) humans have been speculating about the causes of war. Although one grand theory may not suffice, Lawrence LeShan, author of the newly revised The Psychology of War, believes that perceptions of reality during wartime consistently differ from peacetime perceptions.

A wartime perception of reality has a "mythic" quality. During wartime, notions of good and evil become black and white--it's us vs. them; the future of history hangs in the balance; God is on our side and will ultimately absolve us; there is only one problem needing resolution and other problems are put on the backburner; the enemy acts out of a will-to-power, whereas we act out of self-defense, benevolence and a commitment to the fight; since the enemy is evil and untruthful, communication is impossible--only force will settle the conflict; the same actions are good when we do them, evil when the enemy does them; we are concerned only about outcomes, not causes of the conflict; and citizens who take umbrage with these perceptions of reality are considered traitors (Utne, January-February). Sound familiar?