It All Begins With Warfare

THE MOST IMPORTANT BOOK: IT ALL BEGINS WITH WAR

I really want the history of economics to hold the social science’s intellectual high ground. But the fact of the matter is, that after consuming most of intellectual history, in hundreds of books, the most important book on social science that I have ever read remains The History of Warfare by Keegan. It is a work of insight, depth and scholarship that none of the religious, social, political or economic historians have come close to matching.

We live our warfare first. That is the foundation of our civilizations. Everything else rests upon it – and more importantly, everything else depends upon it.

Our ability to deny others control over geography, determines our ability to construct institutions, which determines our ability to accumulate capital.

All property is constructed after all, from the ability to deny others use of that which we claim a monopoly of control over.

All prosperity depends upon the formation of property rights. And all property rights depend on the organized application of violence.