On the face of things, institutionalized violence, in particular the deployment of scientific expertise in advancing technologies of destruction, is certainly a losing evolutionary strategy. On the other hand, fundamental differences do exist among scientists’ ethical values relating to territorial defence and ‘justified’ environmental destruction. Nevertheless, without a doubt, many are of the opinion that a mature society can no longer tolerate the hideousness of warfare on the following grounds. Firstly, since modern large-scale conflict can no longer lead to the monopolizing of coveted scarce resources (unlike the situation in our tribal past), the activity is self-destructive and has no biological survival value. Old notions of national security are outmoded, and military spending must be diverted towards sustainable development and the alleviation of disaffecting poverty. Secondly, dysfunctional, non-adaptive human behaviour – not the power of science and technology – is the key factor threatening human survival.