War and Human Progress

Professor Nef Gives A Synthesis Of Industrial Cultural And Military History In Which War In Viewed As Part Of The Gerneral History Of Our Civilisation. He Shows That It Was Not War But Limitations On War Which Made Possible The Birth Of Industrialism And Its Triumph. The Christian Judgment Of Human Nature As Corrupt And Sinful The Platonic Tradition In Philosophy And Medieval Habits Of Craftsmanship All Imposed Spiritual Or Practical Limitations On War. The Author Traces The Slow Collapse Of These Limitations On War The Rise Of Logical Positivism The Fall Of Elegance In Manners Or Craftsmanship The Advance Of Science In Prosperity And Weapons And The Many Other Causes Leading To The Total Warfare Of This Century . He Suggests The Lines Which A Change Of Thoughts Should Follow If War Is To Be Avoided.