The history of the human race can be traced in the history of its wars.
Perhaps that doesn’t speak too highly of us as a species, but fact remains: we’ve waged wars longer than recorded history, with stones and clubs at first, arrows and swords later. Wars have shaped the contours of civilizations ancient and present, have given birth to countless inventions and innovations, and have even been the catalysts for great works of art. Would there ever be an Iliad without war? Would Hemingway have ever written For Whom the Bell Tolls in peace? Perhaps. Perhaps not. But consider that this medium – the internet – itself is a by-product of military research, and you can begin to grasp the primacy of wars in the development of human civilization.
