War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning
| Company type | Book |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Founder | Chris Hedges |
| Products | Non-fiction book |
War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning is a non-fiction work published in 2002 by journalist Chris Hedges. Utilizing insights from classical texts alongside his background as a war correspondent, Hedges contends that war captivates societies by constructing narratives that maintain popular endorsement of conflicts. He further examines the intense and sometimes addictive nature of war for participants.
In the Introduction, Hedges explains that his purpose in writing the book was "not to deter us from war but to comprehend it... so that we, who command such overwhelming power worldwide, recognize within ourselves the origins of our potential destruction."
Reception
The book earned recognition as a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction, was selected as a Los Angeles Times Best Book of the Year, and achieved national bestseller status.
Abraham Verghese, writing for the New York Times, described it as "a brilliant, thoughtful, timely and unsettling work" that critiques jingoists, pacifists, moralists, politicians, and military personnel alike. He highlights how war "reveals the latent capacity for evil residing just beneath the surface in all individuals."
In Common Knowledge, Jeffrey M. Perl offered a brief assessment: "So much for meaning."
Lawrence F. Freedman’s review in Foreign Affairs characterized the book as "an angry, articulate — a therapeutic expression encapsulated by its ironic title." Although Freedman found Hedges' explanations regarding the origins of war somewhat limited, he praised the compelling nature of Hedges' observations on wartime experiences as an important counterbalance to conventional strategic perspectives.
Allegation of plagiarizing a sentence
University of Texas classics scholar Thomas Palaima accused Hedges of neglecting to credit a sentence originally from Ernest Hemingway. Hedges admitted he had not been aware of the source and amended the sentence in the paperback release.
References
- Hedges, Chris (2002). War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning. PublicAffairs, New York. ISBN 1586480499.
External links
- The Costs of War: Interview with Chris Hedges, Religion and Ethics Newsweekly, 2003-01-31
- Part Two of Interview with Chris Hedges, Religion and Ethics Newsweekly, 2003-01-31