How big of a role has war played in human evolution?

Question

How big of a role has war played in human evolution?

Answer 1

The book "Guns, Germ and Steel by Jared Diamond is an excellent read on this subject.

Highly acclaimed.

Answer 2

I know this is unpopular with many paleontologists, but warfare is very likely a main evolutionary driving force that made us what we are.  Most paleontologists are idealists and don't like to admit that warfare could have a positive contribution.  They argue against it and say things like there is no evidence of it.  

Go to one of the major battlefields that had hundreds of thousands of men using metal arms and see how much remains.  It isn't much.  To assume that you would have evidence of a tribe of maybe 200 attacking another tribe 100,000 years ago is foolish.  

The evidence is the near universal war fighting done by modern humans.  It has likely been reduced somewhat because of the great size of states.  In the past, your family or clan would have to fight someone to expand your territory.  Those that accumulated the most friends and attacked in the highest numbers were the ones to obviously expand.  It expanded the social structures and technology.  It allowed us to become so good at killing our neighbors that all other hominids had to run for the hills when our ancestors came.

The evidence is common sense and the ability to see that conflict is inevitable because of our high potential birthrate.  I think we have been getting better at it for millions of years but really perfected it sometime in the last few hundred thousand years.

Answer 3

I would answer this question with a question.

When has war not played a role in Human evolution?

Answer 4

I don't think it has played a significant role.  

Evolution takes place over a very long time.  For instance, we still have most of the features of hunter-gatherers, which we were for hundreds of thousands of years.  It's only been maybe ten thousand years since we learned to farm, and then gathered together to form cities and cultures.  And war only goes that far back.  

So even if it affected our evolution, there hasn't been enough time for it to affect us that much.

Answer 5

it hasnt done much in terms of physical evolution, but social and intellectual evolution it has done much, as i believe Churchill put it, every new war comes something more powerful and practical way to kill you