Do we need enemies to function? Why are our enemies often more important to us than our friends? Do enemies make us stronger'? These are among the many interesting questions addressed in this wide-ranging volume.
Beloved Enemies uses the end of the Cold War as an opportunity to discuss the phenomenon of enemies, including our curious dependence on opponents, our penchant for creating them, and our paradoxical discomfort when these enemies go away. Author David P. Barash explores the underlying meanings of enemies-from biology, psychology, sociology, and in literature, history, and theology-the phenomenon of obsession-with-enemies and the role of enemies in interpersonal relationships, including families and marriages. Barash explains his theory of causation of enemies passing the pain along" which argues that when individuals or nations suffer pain, they often respond by inflicting pain on others. He also discusses our frequently inappropriate and self-defeating response to enemies based on the discordance between our biological and cultural evolution.
Beloved Enemies also addresses the significance of enemies in our daily life, as well as enemies among animals, conflict and enemy-making in international politics, enemy-making images in literature and religion, and ways in which people encounter and create enemies in their personal lives, and much more.
David P. Barash (Redmond, WA) is professor of psychology at the University of Washington. His many books include The Arms Race and Nuclear War and The Great Outdoors.
309 pages
ISBN 0-87975-908-9 Cloth