Concepts of War, 1650-1900: From Free-rider Strategies to Survival of the Fittest (Value Inquiry Book / Studies in the History of Western Philosophy, 383)

This book discusses the often explosive relation between war and ideas between 1650 and 1900, how the ideas of philosophers and generals have influenced war, and how war in its turn has influenced ideas. Half Title Series Information Title Page Copyright Page Contents Preface Figures and Tables Introduction Chapter 1 The Cat’s Grand Strategy: Pieter de la Court on Holland and the Challenges and Prospects of Free-Riding Behaviour during the General Crisis of the Seventeenth Century 1 Introduction 2 Commerce and Compromise 3 Historical Context: Change and Crisis 4 Game Theory 5 Holland and Europe: the Opportunities of Free-Riding 6 Holland and the Other United Provinces: the Challenges of Free-Riding 7 Philosophical Context: Hobbes and Spinoza 8 Conclusion Chapter 2 François Fénelon on Luxury, War, and Trade in the Telemachus 1 Introduction 2 Telemachus 3 Boetica 4 Salentum: Luxury and War 5 Salentum: Commerce 6 Mercantilism 7 Quietism 8 Self-Interest 9 Evaluation Chapter 3 ‘The Effect in Turn Became the Cause’: Determinism and Causal Feedback Loops in Montesquieu’s Explanations for the Military Rise and Fall of Rome 1 Introduction 2 Determinism and Contingency at the Meso-level 3 Process Explanations 4 Military and Political Context 5 Philosophical and Historiographical Context Chapter 4 Carl von Clausewitz on Limited War: a Three-Stage Interpretation 1 Introduction 2 Interaction and Holism 3 Friction 4 Suspension 5 Politics 6 Discussion Chapter 5 What-if at Waterloo: Clausewitz’s Use of Historical Counterfactuals in His History of the Campaign of 1815 1 Introduction 2 Description: the Waterloo Campaign in 25 Counterfactuals 3 Analysis of the Function of Counterfactuals in the Campaign of 1815 4 Context: on War 5 Context: Military History in General Chapter 6 Models of War, 1770–1830: the Birth of Wargames and the Trade-off between Realism and Simplicity 1 Introduction 2 Wargames, 1770–1830: Types and Functions 3 Historical Background: Peace and War and Peace 4 Trade-off between Realism and Simplicity 5 The Realism-Simplicity Trade-off and Chance 6 Discussion: Empire of Chance? 7 Conclusion Chapter 7 Preparing for War: Prussian–German Professional Wargames and the Leadership Concept of Mission Tactics, 1870–1880 1 Introduction 2 Prussian–German Wargames, 1870–1880 3 Wargames and Mission Tactics 4 Wargames and Mission Tactics: Incubation, Rifles, and Railways 5 Conclusion Chapter 8 Herbert Spencer and the Paradox of War 1 Introduction 2 The Function of War: before Spencer 3 Spencer on the Function of War 4 Biological Evolution: Two Mechanisms 5 Evolution of the Militant and the Industrial Type: the Same Two Mechanisms 6 The Function of the Militant/Industrial Typology 7 Evaluation Bibliography Index Why do people wage war? How can wars be won? How has warfare been an engine of change for human civilization—for better and for worse? In this book Paul Schuurman shows how some of the best Western minds between 1650 and 1900 tried to answer these questions in an epoch when European developments became a matter of global concern. In eight wide-ranging chapters he discusses the key concepts that philosophers and generals of this era developed to grasp and influence the dramatic phenomenon of war. Their concepts remain fresh and relevant down to the present day. "This book discuss the key concepts that philosophers and generals of this era developed to grasp and influence the dramatic and horrific phenomenon of war"-- Provided by publisher