War and religious fanaticism are the same

[burythehatchet]

in that they are both waged by people whose ideas are not strong enough to withstand scrutiny.

[Az]

1. Its interesting

For individuals greed and power can suffice to cause violence. But to motivate a people to violence it requires belief that they are doing good. Thus it is that war and religion often find themself entwined.

For a people most things can be negotiated. Land, property, money, these things can be negotiated and it can be difficult to motivate a society to go to war over these things. But belief cannot be negotiated. Belief is tied to identity. A people can no more negotiate a belief than they can their identity.

To call a people to war you have to convince them that the enemy is evil and it takes belief to do that.

[burythehatchet]

2. remarkably, the most vile actions that human beings have taken

are essentially based upon beliefs rather than facts. Its a calculus that we can change, but powerful forces have an interest in keeping the masses ignorant of their circumstances. Perhaps coincidentally, those same interests profit from the same calculus.

[Lerkfish]

3. People are controlled by what they fear or desire.

If you combine their fear and desire into the same thing, you control them absolutely.

Fears and desires do not have to be logical or rational.

another parrallel from your comparison is that both War and relgious fanaticism usually are run and coordinated by those who understand how they are using people's desire and fears to motivate. In other words, it usually requires people at the top who claim secret or superhuman knowledge or abilities in order to justify undying fealty.

[Igel]

4. So where would you put

oh, say, the Sandinistas or the Red Army as it fought against the White Army?