A Philosophy of War

Name: A Philosophy of War
Price: 22.99 AUD
Availability: OutOfStock
ISBN: 9781804296028

Why We Fight

Frédéric Gros, Gregory Elliott

$22.99

Paperback

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French

Verso
13 January 2026

Philosophy; Popular philosophy; Political science & theory; Warfare & defence

According to one wag, war ‘died in Hiroshima’ more than half a century ago. And yet it has never gone away. Terrorist acts, Israeli-Palestinian and Middle Eastern conflicts, the implosion of Yugoslavia, countries torn apart by factions, not to mention other wars: economic, psychological, computer, gender or generational... Russia's invasion of Ukraine has reshuffled the cards. This time, they say, it's the return of real war, with its atrocities, its horrors, its violence. But what is a real war? By calling on the great political philosophers, from Plato to Marx, via Machiavelli and Hobbes, this book attempts to answer this question, along with a series of others: what is a just war? What moral forces are involved in a conflict? Does the state make war, or does war make the state? Finally, after exploring the meanings and stakes of the spectre of ‘total’ war, he tackles the ultimate question: why war?

By: Frédéric Gros
Translated by: Gregory Elliott
Imprint: Verso
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: Paperback original
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 129mm, Spine: 8mm
Weight: 98g
ISBN: 9781804296028
ISBN 10: 1804296023
Pages: 112
Publication Date: 13 January 2026
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Introduction: This Time, It Really is War 1 Really a 'Return' of War? 2 Heroism and Barbarism 3 What is a 'Just' War? 4 The State Makes War and War Makes the State 5 The Idea of Total War 6 Why War? Conclusion: And War for the Sake of What Peace. Index

Frédéric Gros is both philosopher and writer. In France, he was the leading editor of Michel Foucault's works and lectures. He teaches political humanities at Sciences-po Paris. His first major success was a book on walking (A Philosophy of Walking), translated into some twenty languages.

Reviews for A Philosophy of War: Why We Fight

A brilliant essay. * Lire-Magazine littéraire * In 162 pages as clear as they are dense, Gros in the lineage of Raymond Aron, untangles this mystery of the dark side of humanity. * Le Point * Masterful. * Nice Matin * An accessible essay that asks questions as crucial as they are dizzying. * Marianne * A beautiful philosophical lesson. -- Psychologies Have history's most devastating conflicts taught us nothing? Philosopher Gros mines the writings of thinkers ancient and modern to discern the root of mankind's insatiable urge to conquer. * The Washington Independent Review of Books *