We've also been fighting for much longer than 5,000 years. It sounds like the General is a young-Earth creationist which, if true, doesn't give me much faith in his intellectual capacity.
> Do you not adapt because you cannot conceptualize faster than the enemy’s adaptation? (Darwin has a pretty good theory about the outcome for those who cannot adapt to changing circumstance — in the information age things can change rather abruptly and at warp speed, especially the moral high ground which our regimented thinkers cede far too quickly in our recent fights.)
Except he doesn't say "we've been recording fighting for 5,000 years," he says "we've been fighting for 5,000 years." There's no ambiguity there, unless you're delusional.
There is an odd phenomenon prevalent on the 'net: the presumption that a short blurb written with a small audience and particular point in mind should, somehow, contain encyclopedic completeness to every conceivable objection any twit may conjure up, no matter how ill-informed or tenuously applicable.
That´s why sometimes silence is the only viable option, any other one only receives mental onanism as a response, the conversations ends in the same place but with the OP mentally exhausted.
Um, when a general says "we've been fighting for 5,000 years," he's referring to organized conflict, i.e. WAR. It's pretty hard for war to exist without civilization, so, yeah, around 5000 years, give or take, is the accepted number. Part of that is because writing was invented at about that time.
Now you could argue this number, but before you do, ask yourself: do you actually have any experience in this area, or are you just being a pedantic douche? The answer to that question will determine if you should reply.
I also think the guy who asked about books written 5,000 years ago is pretty funny. Well, actually, there is writing dating back to 3,200 BC. If you're going to be a pedant, at least get it right.
> Do you not adapt because you cannot conceptualize faster than the enemy’s adaptation? (Darwin has a pretty good theory about the outcome for those who cannot adapt to changing circumstance — in the information age things can change rather abruptly and at warp speed, especially the moral high ground which our regimented thinkers cede far too quickly in our recent fights.)