Comments on: “Literature and war carry opposite genes.”

By: edsouthern

edsouthern — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:01:15 +0000

Glenda wrote: “What if the key to our survival was not even the development of weapons, but the development of language?”

That’s actually the point that Chatwin puts forward: that our survival was ensured not by superior strength, but by organizing, which required communication, and thus we developed language.

To respond to Lonnie, I should have said that, like cousins, war and literature share some genes, but not all. I’m not referring to any specific war, or war in the 21st century. I’m talking about the nature of war itself, which I think is rooted in the same fear of extinction that art is. Obviously, I feel that art is a far, far better reaction to this fear than war, or I’d be directing a platoon right now and not the NCWN. I can’t agree, though, that they carry ‘opposite genes,’ when I believe they come from a common ancestor.

By: Lonnie Busch

Lonnie Busch — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 01:54:17 +0000

I could not agree more with Mai Ghoussoub. Art and war do carry different genes and I think the observation is brilliant. War is about destruction, literature is about creation. Literature celebrates life, war celebrates death. Literature holds up the greatest attributes of our culture, while war must turn away from those very attributes to be effective. Literature shines a light on and values what is sublime about being human, while war defiles everything sublime. Literature points at something greater than ourselves, at our otherliness. War destroys other, shifts our focus to what is worst in human nature. Literature elevates humainty, war destroys it.

By: Glenda Beall

Glenda Beall — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:15:40 +0000

What if the key to our survival was not even the development of weapons, but the development of language?
I believe the key to our survival is language and through language we communicate our ideas,fears, compassion and compromise which is probably the most important key to holding civilization together.
Perhaps if we had used language instead of weapons during the past five years, our world would be completely different today.

By: susan wright bryant

susan wright bryant — Wed, 28 May 2008 20:42:49 +0000

Ed, I agree with you. I think storytelling – as far back as inscriptions on the walls of caves – is a basic instinct for survival. We tell stories in all forms of art in an effort to understand ourselves and share all that we have in common with others. I think art is our best hope for peace. Susan Bryant