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. In a new preface, the
authors discuss recent mass violence and reaffirm the importance of
education and understanding in the prevention of future genocides.
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9781400834853
Publisert
2013
Utgiver
Vendor
Princeton University Press
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter