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26. LTCOL Dave Grossman - On killing, combat, sleep, ’blind spots’ and everything else in between
26. LTCOL Dave Grossman - On killing, combat, sleep, ’blind spots’ and everything else in between
ratings:
Length:
72 minutes
Released:
Aug 30, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
Today, my guest is LTCOL Dave Grossman. He requires very little introduction, as I’m sure most of my audience will be intimately familiar with his books, most notably the one that has revolutionised the way we think and talk about combat. The book is of course ‘On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society’, which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize; has been translated into multiple languages; is on the US Marine Corps Commandant’s Required Reading List; and is required reading at the FBI academy and numerous other academies and colleges around the world.
He is now the director of the ‘Killology Research Group’ and is on the road almost 300 days a year, training elite military and law enforcement organisations worldwide about the reality of combat.
During our chat, we discussed a range of topics, including
Non-firers in combat and how we made killing a conditioned response
How anonymity can enable violence and the importance of non-verbal communication
The logic behind the term ‘killology’
What LTCOL Grossman means by the phrase ‘no pity party, no macho man’
Sleep deprivation and its effects on our societies
The issue with high doses of caffeine in energy drinks
The impact of sleep deprivation on ethical decision making in soldiers and first responders
Social blind spots and how they impact our decision making
The blind spot of creating a generation desensitised to violence and war
How medical technology decreases murder and death rate, and thereby hides an increase in violence
How otherwise good people come to do bad things, particularly in war
‘Killing enabling factors’ and how they can lead to atrocities
‘The virus of violent crime’ and its implications for our future
The need to understand causes of violence, not means to carry it out
The power and danger of information
Since I’ve barely scratched the surface of LTCOL Grossman’s extensive biography, you can find an extended version here. You can find a list of other books he has written over the years, including the two mentioned in our chat—'On Combat' and 'Assassination Generation'—here.
He is now the director of the ‘Killology Research Group’ and is on the road almost 300 days a year, training elite military and law enforcement organisations worldwide about the reality of combat.
During our chat, we discussed a range of topics, including
Non-firers in combat and how we made killing a conditioned response
How anonymity can enable violence and the importance of non-verbal communication
The logic behind the term ‘killology’
What LTCOL Grossman means by the phrase ‘no pity party, no macho man’
Sleep deprivation and its effects on our societies
The issue with high doses of caffeine in energy drinks
The impact of sleep deprivation on ethical decision making in soldiers and first responders
Social blind spots and how they impact our decision making
The blind spot of creating a generation desensitised to violence and war
How medical technology decreases murder and death rate, and thereby hides an increase in violence
How otherwise good people come to do bad things, particularly in war
‘Killing enabling factors’ and how they can lead to atrocities
‘The virus of violent crime’ and its implications for our future
The need to understand causes of violence, not means to carry it out
The power and danger of information
Since I’ve barely scratched the surface of LTCOL Grossman’s extensive biography, you can find an extended version here. You can find a list of other books he has written over the years, including the two mentioned in our chat—'On Combat' and 'Assassination Generation'—here.
Released:
Aug 30, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
Podcast Introduction: A short introduction to this podcast, how it came about, and what we'll be exploring in the episodes to come. Thank you for joining me. Maz by The Voices of War