Adapted to War (AWAR)

The question of whether small-scale war has shaped human evolution has generated major scientific debate involving anthropologists, archaeologists, economists, historians, primatologists, psychologists, and political scientists. AWAR posits that evidence of special design, obtained from an integrated program of psychological experiments, is required to answer this question. If humans are adapted to small-scale war, then human psychology must be equipped with specialized adaptations designed for the efective navigation of war: planning, executing, and defending against coalitional attacks. AWAR presents an elaborate experimental program, to be administered in 40-50 countries, to (i) probe the existence of such adaptations, and (ii) examine how they may shape people's attitudes and behavior in the context of contemporary political violence.