Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny1A.2
For ex, one of several reasons for the periodicity of large nasty wars (about a lifetime apart, often) could very likely just be that this is long enough for memory of had nasty the last one was to pass away, making society more receptive to the possibility of engaging in one.
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Is there a convincing case for the idea that large, nasty wars come in periodic cycles? I'd be really interested to find out.
When I first hear the idea, it strikes me as pretty far-fetched - I guess because I think of human societies as being extraordinarily complex things, meaning that their history is extraordinarily complex, too; and it's so very, very easy to see patterns in any complex data if you're just willing to squint a bit.
But I could totally be wrong!