Hob_Gadling posted:

That's an interesting question. Carl von Clausewitz tried to answer it in his book "On War", one of the all-time classics on the topic. His view was that war in itself has no purpose; it must be seen as a combination of

1) state continuation of Politik (a word that fuses the meanings of politics and policy)
2) chaos (in the sense of chance and probability) wherein creative spirits are free to roam
3) and primordial hate.

These are often associated with state, commander and people.

John Keegan argues in his classic "A History of Warfare" that Clausewitz was wrong and that war is cultural. We fight wars because of who we are and who we were raised to be. He makes one very interesting footnote: warfare is, and has been throughout history, an "entirely masculine activity".

Both books are fascinating and well worth a read. I would recommend using a reading aid for "On War" since the style can be confusing for a modern reader.

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1946
http://www.amazon.com/A-History-Warfare-John-Keegan/dp/0679730826