"common explanations for why the Allies managed to defeat the Axis often boil down to some combination of "Russian manpower and American manufacturing." But this familiar story leaves many important facts: "Germany almost won; Britain didn't lose; Russian will didn't collapse; and Americans learned from ingenious and effective adversaries." According to Wright, "none of that can be understood without the central weapon of war, the human brain."
"The same is true of modern warfare. While no longer waged exclusively with rifles and rockets, but also AI, drones, and cyberattacks, today's wars nonetheless influence how we think, feel, and act on the battlefield. In Warhead, Wright explains how armed conflict impacts every part of our brain, from the instinctive reflexes of our reptilian brainstem to the cognitive and metacognitive functions of the prefrontal cortex."
External factors like weaponry, leadership, terrain, and logistics influence battle outcomes, but internal brain processes crucially shape soldier performance and strategic results. Fear, stress, risk assessment, and rapid decision-making alter actions on the battlefield and can explain historical outcomes that matériel alone cannot. Modern conflicts incorporate AI, drones, and cyberattacks while continuing to affect thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Armed conflict impacts brain systems from instinctive brainstem reflexes to prefrontal cognitive and metacognitive functions. Understanding these effects has been applied historically and could be applied to enhance military effectiveness or protect civilians. Topics include evolutionary roots of violence and the feasibility of world peace.
Read at Big Think
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