Roots of War and Terror

In 'The Roots of War and Terror', Anthony Stevens provides profound insights into the nature and origins of armed conflict. Combining the Jungian concepts of the archetype and the collective unconscious with crucial evidence from the behavioural and biological sciences, Stevens exposes war as an ancient propensity rooted in human psychology - particularly in the psychology and anatomy of the human male. Stevens explains what attracts men to the profession of arms and describes the age-old techniques, still used in military training camps, which are necessary to activate the warrior archetype in the masculine psyche. The author sheds light on how leaders persuade populations to go to war and lays bare the unconscious fantasies that could draw us all to final Armageddon. In later chapters of this book, Stevens discusses ways of inhibiting the archetypes of war (through educational policy and admission of women into the citadels of masculine power), of diverting them into less destructive channels. 'The Roots of War and Terror' is an indispensable work for anyone wishing to understand the psychological basis of war or hoping to discover ways in which the unimaginable catastrophe of nuclear war could be avoided. 'Denial and dissociation, repression and projection enable us to remain cheerfully unconscious. Desguised as defenders of our egos and protectors of our peace of mind, those discreet flunkies are really secret agents in the service of the archetypes of war. Unknown and unrecognised by our fellow citizens, they are the stooges of Armageddon.'