Books reviews, current events, and other musings

In War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, journalist Chris Hedges explores the emotional impact of warfare. He doesn’t dwell on the direct effects that we’re all familiar with: deaths, injuries, destruction, and so on. Instead, he focuses on societal and psychological concerns. Hedges conveys his observations from war zones around the world, including Yugoslavia, Palestine, Cyprus, Sudan, and El Salvador. He mentions similar responses in America after the 9/11 attacks.

He starts by describing the mythology of war, whereby our side is intrinsically good, theirs is intrinsically evil, and military force is the only way to proceed. During wartime, intense nationalism sweeps away intellectual discourse and the humanity of the enemy. Another chapter, entitled The Seductive of Battle and the Perversion of War, conveys how soldiers respond to the overwhelming power, danger, and destruction they contend with. Participants in a war distort its reality, pushing aside the suffering that took place and any doubts about the justness of the underlying cause.

Though the horrors of war come as no surprise, the book provides a deeper grasp of its emotional consequences. You feel some of what Hedges experienced in his years as a divinity student turned war correspondent, struggling to make sense of it all. He provides a valuable glimpse into one of the nastiest sides of humanity.

posted by Julian at 12:15AM

Matt Ridley, author of the excellent Genome, explores the classic nature vs. nurture debate in his newest book Nature via Nurture: Genes, Experience, & What Makes Us Human. His high-level conclusion, involving the interplay between genes and the environment, isn’t particularly profound, but he describes many angles that I hadn’t seen before.

Environmental factors can turn genes on and off, altering a person's genetic behavior. Some psychological problems are correlated with certain genetic patterns, but only emerge following a dysfunctional family background. The womb, as a prenatal environment, can influence the later life of the unborn child; for example, boys with older brothers are more likely to be gay. Identical twins who grow up in different families have very similar personalities, providing the strongest evidence of genetic influence on human behavior. As people grow older, they choose to spend time with similar personalities and to perform activities that coincide with their strengths, in essence seeking environments that magnify their genetic inclinations.

Ridley presents several biology experiments that provide insight into the generic and environmental mechanisms at play. He also reviews the beliefs of a dozen intellectuals, from Charles Darwin to Konrad Lorenz, who dominated the nature/nurture debate. Nature via Nurture has some interesting ideas, though it doesn’t rise to the level of Genome.

posted by Julian at 10:55PM