Award Nominations

The George Ryga Award for best book pertaining to social awareness. This literary prize is granted to a B.C. author who has achieved an outstanding degree of social awareness in a new book.


Peace History Society’s Scott Bills Memorial Prize awarded for an outstanding dissertation or an outstanding first book.


Morton Deutsch Conflict Resolution Award recognizing an individual who has made notable contributions to the integration of theory and practice in the field of conflict resolution. This prize is sponsored annually by The Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence: Peace Psychology Division of the American Psychological Association.

 

Reviews:

“Your book… is a truly remarkable accomplishment…a life work on an exceptionally important and controversial issue, written in low key though it deals with a subject that is truly a matter of life or death, not just for a few individuals, but for the entire human race… It is also written in a steady, logical, pleasant style… I agree with your thesis one hundred percent… I see this work as a textbook at the college level, and as such I think it could become a classic.”

—Harvey Mindess, Retired President and Psychology Professor, Antioch University, Los Angeles


“Your text is outstanding and I am sharing it with others in history, sociology and political science.”

—Dr. Byron Plumley, Director of Peace & Justice, Regis University, Denver


“I’m very impressed with the scope of the book. I’ll find it a very useful reference book—particularly on the psychological dynamics and aspects of violence. I think it is definitely graduate level—actually PhD level. I would highly recommend it for PhD programs in this field.”

—Lisa Schirch, Ph.D., Conflict Transformation Program, Eastern Mennonite University, Virginia


“I… am very impressed. The writing is clear, forceful, reasoned, and thoughtful.” You “appear to grasp the fundamental truths of war and aggression in an interesting and unique way.”

— Dr. Leo Sandy, Professor of Peace and Justice Studies, Plymouth State University


” I have perused the book pretty carefully… It’s strong and it’s provocative.”

—Gordon Fellman, Professor of Sociology and Chair, Peace, Conflict, and Coexistence Studies, Brandeis University


“I think [your book] is quite an impressive discussion of the psychological bases of war and aggression, an aspect of war that only a minority of scholars in my field of political science emphasize.”

—Matthew Evangelista, Professor of Government and Director of Peace Studies, Cornell University, New York


“…very interesting…”

— Dr. Rachel Shigekane, Human Rights Center, University of California, Berkeley


“…well written with interesting examples…”

— Dr. Loramy Gerstbauer, Director of Peace Studies, Gustavus Adolphus College


“I find you have undertaken a tremendous job, and made a significant effort in linking the psychological causes of aggression to their relationship with war. While our studies are linked to sociology, political sciences, and international relations, clearly the psychological aspects go a long way to explain motivations and behaviours that influence and color the picture of the causes of war. They all start with people after all! I realize aswell that this is the beginning of a series of books expanding on these topics. We have a module in our program, that deals with Post Traumatic syndrome and another with the root causes of conflict, both could benefit tremendously from your work.”

—Paz G. Buttedahl, Ph.D., Director, Human Security and Peacebuilding Programme, Royal Roads University, Victoria, Vancouver Island, B.C.


“…very interesting…”

Ron Claassen, Director of Center for Peacemaking and Conflict Studies, Fresno Pacific University


” I … was impressed with your effort to explain the causes of war in an effort to end them.”

—Dr. JoAnn Aviel, Chair/Professor, International Relations, San Francisco State University


“I appreciated the excellent coverage that you devote to many of the psychological approaches to war and aggression. “

—Professor Jean-Francois Rioux, Director, Conflict Studies, Saint Paul University, Ottawa


“…interesting, clearly written and quite informative…”

—Cynthia Mahmood, Ph.D,. Director of Graduate Studies, Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, Notre Dame


“… certainly interesting…”

—Professor Janet Moen, Peace Studies, University of North Dakota


“…very interesting…”

—Professor David Smith, Justice and Peace Studies, University of Saint Thomas


“This insightful new book is a significant body of work and is about to become an eminent text and distinguished source book amongst intelligent and concerned individuals who care about the causes of war and where war is taking us all. Indeed, it contains rich material for both intellectuals and academicians while also being an exceedingly readable text for the common layman. A visit to Bo Filter’s web site at globaljusticepublishing.com is a must. The author’s views are meticulously researched and intelligently supported with examples and comparisons few will dispute to any effect. His observations are refreshing and earth-shattering in their implications. In my opinion, this book will quake the foundations of Political Science across the arc of the Globe. I believe strongly that all libraries, public and academic, should have a copy on their shelves. This is the first of 6 books in the series. I can hardly wait for Book number 2!”

—Skye Ryan-Evans (Poet\Author) Canada\Australia


“You are a gold mine for peace.”

— Joseph Roberts, Publisher and Senior editor of Common Ground Magazine


“With an advanced degree in psychology and experience in the armed services, including participation in a high-security war room during the Vietnam War, Bo Filter sifts through much historical, sociological, and psychological material to crystallize the primary source of war. Namely, this source is the distortion of truth into dogma, so that dogma supplants truth. When this happens, groups instilled with the dogma believe they must wage war to advance or preserve the dogma against threats from other groups, who may in effect believe in a contrary dogma. Dogmas grow from a single belief into a psychological complex of core, secondary, and peripheral beliefs. Most of this first work in a planned series of six works analyzing the cause of wars and aggression at all levels, from individuals and small groups to nations and civilizations, is taken up with the formation and interaction of this psychological complex. In light of the seemingly endless deadly conflict within and between many countries, Filter’s work is pertinent as well as illuminating and stimulating. It rewards readers with conceptual and analytic tools to make sense of much that is going on in today’s world, even if individuals and leaders seem helpless to remedy the self-defeating denials of truth which are the cornerstones of the different dogmas. The author writes in such a way that readers not wishing to go into all of his extended, insightful analyzes of the historical, sociological, and psychological material can read through his summaries to pick up the book’s main ideas for their value in understanding today’s world and conflict in human affairs”.

— Henry Berry, book reviewer The Small Press Book Review


In 1978 psychology professor Dr. Melanie Allen predicted that Bo would make a “real and original contribution to the field” of psychology. In his final Masters Degree papers, she made note of his “doctoral-level theory building and thinking.” Bo “builds a solid meta-philosophical and philosophical base” under the “change necessary for the survival of our society.”

— Dr. Melanie Allen, Professor of Psychology Antioch University, Los Angeles


“It is a very learned book (and quite heavy reading). But it is well worth studying for the important subject matter.”

—Harold Birkeland, retired engineer, Denman Island, BC, February 8, 2004 blog.