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HOW OLD IS HUMAN BRUTALITY? On the Structural Origins of Violence

HOW OLD IS HUMAN BRUTALITY? On the Structural Origins of Violence Given the paucity of evidence available, scholarship in archaeology and the social sciences is deeply divided over the question, how old is human violence? Some scholars have concluded that humans are intrinsically violent, and others that they are basically nonviolent, but in both interpretive schools there is a pronounced tendency to rely on simple naturalist epistemology. In contrast, this article offers an interpretation focusing on the structural foundations of violent action. Instead of tracing violent or nonviolent behavior to “human nature,” the origins of violence are linked to the rise and proliferation of complex social organizations. violence war enmity brutality social organizations http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Common Knowledge Duke University Press

HOW OLD IS HUMAN BRUTALITY? On the Structural Origins of Violence

Malešević, Siniša
Common Knowledge , Volume 22 (1) – Jan 1, 2016
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References (22)

Publisher
Duke University Press
Copyright
Copyright © Duke Univ Press
ISSN
0961-754X
eISSN
1538-4578
DOI
10.1215/0961754X-3322894
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Given the paucity of evidence available, scholarship in archaeology and the social sciences is deeply divided over the question, how old is human violence? Some scholars have concluded that humans are intrinsically violent, and others that they are basically nonviolent, but in both interpretive schools there is a pronounced tendency to rely on simple naturalist epistemology. In contrast, this article offers an interpretation focusing on the structural foundations of violent action. Instead of tracing violent or nonviolent behavior to “human nature,” the origins of violence are linked to the rise and proliferation of complex social organizations. violence war enmity brutality social organizations

Journal

Common Knowledge – Duke University Press

Published: Jan 1, 2016

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