3-5 Philosophical Definition of War

War is a direct driving force of biological evolution. The state of war is not unique to humans, but is shared by all living things in the Earth’s ecosystem.

Warfare is a continuous competitive action undertaken by a group to secure survival and reproduction within its ecosystem. At the individual level, war manifests as combat capability, which is also a heritable trait. An individual’s combat capability can be strengthened or weakened throughout its life cycle. At the group level, war manifests as a persistent state. Even small differences in overall combat capability between competing species can have significant subsequent impacts at the group level and throughout history. Altruism and selfishness are two terms that inevitably arise when discussing the overall combat capability of a group. Generally, actions by individuals to enhance their combat capability will inevitably enhance the overall combat capability of the group. At the group level, the principle of altruism takes precedence. The principle of altruism is fundamental to ensuring the survival and reproduction of a species or group.