The Greatest Human Failings

Sir Bob Jones

I’ve always believed that the two greatest human failings are first religion and then warfare, this latter frequently a consequence of the former.

The Economist recently lauded a new book, Why War by British historian Richard Overy, who analysed why warfare has prevailed throughout human history.

Overy asserted four primary causes being first religion, followed by the pursuit of personal power, the pursuit of resources and, finally, the pursuit of security.

Religious belief may on face value seem harmless and childish, but not so, for although fast fading in the West in line with increasing education, it’s essential characteristic of irrationality and dependence on faith, in lieu of fact, points up a salient reality about mankind, namely that people are not robots and, instead, hugely affected by emotions.

The pursuit of power, that is the desire to boss others and call the shots is a driving force in politics. Enoch Powell’s famous and true adage that all political careers end in failure provides little comfort for its victims.

Overy gloomingly concluded that if warfare has a very long human history, it also has a future.

If that’s true, then if the wasted application of so much human resources into warfare technology continues then humanity may itself prove to have no future.

For the record I made exactly the same points in my 2020 novella Heaven Sent.

This article was originally published by No Punches Pulled.