Man, the State, and War : Paperback : Columbia University Press : 9780231125376 : 0231125372 : 21 Feb 2011 : What are the causes of war? To answer this question, Waltz examines the ideas of major thinkers throughout the history of Western civilization. He explores works both by classic political philosophers, such as St. Augustine, Hobbes, Kant, and Rousseau, and by modern psychologists and anthropologists to discover ideas intended to explain war among states and related prescriptions for peace.