Love and War: Human Nature in Crisis

by Rudolf Harmsen, Paddy S. Welles

Overview

LOVE and WAR presents the reader with the evidence for two serious challenges mankind will have to face towards the end of this century – environmental collapse and the possibility of nuclear war – and argues that these two threats are going to be very difficult to avoid. The reason for this is that our emotional lives, drives, and behaviors are the result of many millennia of natural selection for survival of those who exploited nature to their own advantage and fought wars at the expense of others. These two major aspects of human nature are deeply ingrained in our psyches and are the cause of the crisis we will soon face. Our only way out, argue the authors Dr. Harsen and Dr. Welles, is to consciously and rationally focus on another aspect of human nature: love. This may be the only emotion we can count on to convince the majority of mankind to turn the road to disaster around.

"LOVE and WAR: Human Nature in Crisis provides a comprehensive analysis of nothing less than the prospects for the future of the human race. The authors are not only deep thinkers, but they are also experienced observers of humans and other animals. The book is full of compelling stories based on their own experiences and studies in as disparate places as Borneo and Banks Island in the Canadian arctic. Their argument concerning the urgency of changing our ways as myopic, self-indulgent consumers is indisputable.
"If we can learn to love other life on this planet, we might have a chance to save it and ourselves." —Robert Bateman, World famous wildlife artist, naturalist and author

"LOVE and WAR: Human Nature in Crisis is a priceless gift to humanity. We know the ravages of war within the world and within ourselves. This book is a reminder of love's universal and eternal embrace, offering hope – a great guide for cultivating the seeds of love and eliminating the weeds of war. Read this book, look in the mirror and allow change in your life." – Phil Jordan, internationally recognized psychic consultant

"LOVE and WAR deepens our understanding and brings us one step closer to that distant day when we will lay down our sword and shield and deserve the name Homo sapiens—wise human beings." –Sam Keen, Best-selling author of Faces of the Enemy

"This book is an excellent and well-researched integration of biology and psychology and of science and fascinating personal experiences. It will inspire us, every reader, to analyze our personal behavior and strive to be more compassionate persons if we desire to survive this century and leave our progeny a sustainable planet." –Peter Kolassa, Esquire, Director of Hoffman Institute, Canada

"You will receive valuable insights into modern biology, practical psychology and original research from reading this book, as well as enjoy amusing anecdotes and nice poetry. Most of all you will be touched by the enthusiasm, honesty, and internationalism of the writers as they argue for a new way of living to create a new world order. To readers in the developing world, Asia, Africa, Arabia, and Latin America, such voices from America and Canada are heartwarming and encouraging. A better world is possible." –Dr. Harbans Nagpal, Psychoanalyst Psychiatrist, Paris and Delhi, India

"The book LOVE and WAR by R. Harmsen & P.S. Welles: This is a perceptive and insightful exploration of the two greatest features of being human. And, these will rule the future, for better or worse. To understand them is crucial to the long-term survival of our species.The academic content of this book is exceptional—accurate and well described for comprehension, but I love the personal stories! They add the perfect touch to inspire us to take the action needed to understand the crisis we have created and the critical need for us to change before another war destroys our world."
–Jarmila Peck, Renowned Paleontologist, Czech Republic and Canada

"LOVE and WAR is a stunning tour de force which traces the darkest shadows of our progenitors on humankind’s evolutionary journey through individual, societal, communal, and nation-state relationships. It is a compelling and wonderfully readable analysis of how innate latent noble and fearsome factors in the human psyche surface in varying circumstances. In demonstrating how the latter can collectively lead to hostilities to achieve tribal or national goals, this book provides profound psychological insights as to why nations in the twenty-first century still employ war as an instrument of national policy. The authors specify what we must do, as nations and individuals, to create a global community working in concert to deal with the now-recognized universal threats to life on Earth." –Harry J. Petrequin, Jr., Retired U. S. Senior Foreign Service Officer, Former Faculty Member, National Defense University

Product Details

BN ID:	2940013021303
Publisher:	Reed, Robert D. Publishers
Publication date:	09/06/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	300
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

PADDY S. WELLES, Ph.D.: About Me

Although I have a Ph.D. in Child and Family Studies, being a wife, mother, and grandmother have taught me more about children and families than I learned in a classroom. I have spent many years in classrooms, as a student, teacher and professor. But, my favorite place to think is close to water with a book, tablet and pen, seeking to understand why we love, why we hate, why we push ourselves to the edge of all we know and still want more. This seeking caused me to walk away from my first marriage and religion--and into therapy. Later, remarried and living in France, my questions expanded. I began to wonder if we were not all emotionally similar and how we could ever justify war. Returning to the U.S. and to graduate school, I became a therapist. My clients became my teachers. They taught me that compassion is hard to experience in the face of tragedy and abuse. I learned that holding compassion for all is a challenge, but necessary, if we want a more peaceful world. To this end, I picked up my pen and tablet and began to write LOVE and WAR.

Rudolf Harmsen, Ph.D. ABOUT ME:
I was born in the Netherlands in the year Adolf Hitler gained power in Germany. My childhood was spent in Nazi-occupied Holland, and I experienced acts of violence most children can’t even imagine. As a nineteen-year old, I was drafted into the Dutch army and served with NATO forces in Germany, being trained to fight the Soviets in case the cold war turned hot.
After a brief period at a Dutch university, I immigrated to Canada and completed a BA and an MA in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto. Three years of doctoral studies in insect biochemistry in Cambridge (UK) gained me a Ph.D., which was followed by a post-doc at the University of East Africa in Nairobi, Kenya.

Editorial Reviews

...many of the topics in this particular book are ones that I have discussed with my college Psychology students. Questions arise as to what is "survival of the fittest," and who does it benefit? Are we such a society filled with hate, fear and revenge that we feel our only option is to go to war and try to control other countries?
The authors have done an excellent job in discussing survival of the fitest... extraordinary amount of research for this book. It is easy to read and understand.

Carol Hoyer

While war may be ingrained in the human psyche through evolution, they argue, peace remains possible. Like war, it just comes at a cost. Harmsen and Welles explain the insights biology, evolutionary theory, and psychology provide into why humanity rages war. Together, the authors provide a number of fascinating and insightful stories, ranging from chimpanzee political fights to how one tribal village avenges another's past aggression. And the book offers a thought-provoking perspective...

Diane Gardner

Insights into Establishing a Global Perspective: Rudolf Harmsen and Paddy S. Wells combine their expertise in biology and psychology with their childhood memories of WWII in this extraordinary analysis of the conflict of love and fear deeply engrained in the human psyche. The impressive bibliography includes over 125 entries of highly acclaimed works by respected scholars, leaders, and writers recognized for their influence on the decision makers of the world.

Richard Blake

This in-depth study...fascinating analysis...extremely intelligent and organized approach...A must read for those looking for psychological explanations to current global affairs! Highly intelligent and profoundly detailed, authors Harmsen and Welles went well above and beyond what I expected to find in this book. I walked away from LOVE and WAR the same way I walked away from Daniel Goldman’s Emotional Intelligence after reading it for the first time: "WOW!”

Vicki Landes