Mankind the Story of Warfare


After viewing the first part of the series, I think it's been misnamed. I understand that since we started to settle on land we have been fighting over it, but we have accomplished a few other things in the meantime as well.

Yes, they touched on art and democracy, and 'touched' might be a bit of an overstatement, but apparently that's nowhere near as important as iron weapon with movable, replaceable parts.

reply

Like the doc said, warfare has driven so many technological advancements that it is only logical it would be featured a lot.

The lone neon lights and the ache of the ocean
And the fire that was starting to go out...

reply

Not as much as History would like us to believe, but regardless, I expected a series about Mankind, not about weapons they made and how they used those weapons.
Out of so many historians, anthropologists, archaeologists etc. they had to include an ex marine and an ex navy seal to tell us how warfare is in our DNA.
On one hand, I am disappointed. On the other, what did I expect from axe wielding truckers visited by aliens?
You wanted 8 stars for this?
Best I can do is 4.

reply

I think they went too far with showing how the phalanx was formed and other such war strategies but I'm still defending weaponry.

Humans are tool users and a very violent species. Weaponry must be brought up.

The lone neon lights and the ache of the ocean
And the fire that was starting to go out...

reply

Came here to say the same.

What it is, people find warfare interesting. The other 99% of the time people are doing other things is a bit boring comparatively.

People glorify war because it's so much more interesting, than focusing on the 29 years prior of people's lives, growing up and farming/working, and the multiple people growing crops, creating goods and all the other things civilization depend on besides a small minority of all people killing each other.

Personally I believe the notion that war spawns invention or human advancement, is a bit simplistic a statement.
Competition spawns broad innovation. War is just a form of competition.

War innovates, but it hardly invents. I extremely doubt, the first person to ever discover the use of iron or steel, was thinking up a way to make a better sword. A plow maybe.


To put it in perspective, I do wish the series would of delved a little further for an instance, into what the ancient greeks might of had to say, and a little less time into how they created an effective line of people with shields and bronze tipped sticks. That is interesting and important, but there are other lasting things that could be touched upon more.

reply

History of the Worst of Us. Pretty much every advancement in technology was turned into a weapon. It would have been nice to see what good all the technology had brought.

reply

Isn't history written by the victors?


"Good night, and grease for peace."

http://youtu.be/TBAuO1McLxg

reply

History is written by people who can wright.

reply

Why would the people who were good at woodworking or building be the ones to keep the history records?
I would expect it to be left to the scribes to write history.

reply

I think that man's natural state is war. Look at what happens with unregulated businesses like gangs and the mob. They kill just to get rid of competition even when it has nothing to do with their service or product. I think that with the lack of an established entity or state, man is constantly at war. The only thing that kept man from being at war was distance and lack of communication.

reply