I should like you also to reflect that its events could…
““I should like you also to reflect that its events could have taken place only in a world where man considers himself superior to woman. In what the Americans call “a man’s world”. That is, a world governed by brute force, humourless arrogance, illusory prestige and primeval stupidity.’ He stared at the screen. ‘Men love war because it allows them to look serious. Because they imagine it is the one thing that stops women laughing at them. In it they can reduce women to the status of objects. That is the great distinction between the sexes. Men see objects, women see the relationship between objects. Whether the objects need each other, love each other, match each other. It is an extra dimension of feeling we men are without and one that makes war abhorrent to all real women—and absurd. I will tell you what war is. War is a psychosis caused by an inability to see relationships. Our relationship with our fellowmen. Our relationship with our economic and historical situation. And above all our relationship to nothingness. To death.’ He””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
War is portrayed as a manifestation of men’s inability to perceive relational interdependence, reducing others to objects and fueling destructive aggression.
In simple terms: War shows men’s failure to see relationships, leading to violence.
Key Takeaway
Recognize relational thinking to counter aggression.
Themes
gender dynamics
war
psychology
masculinity
Mood
critical
reflective
Type
philosophical
analytical
When to use this quote
- personal relationships
- conflict resolution
- peacebuilding
- gender equality
Key Concepts
objectification
psychosis
relationship perception
Questions to Reflect On
- How does relational awareness change conflict?
- Can societies restructure power to reduce objectification?
A Different Perspective
It overlooks structural and economic causes of war beyond individual perception.