I actually think most historical groups wanted to vanquish the enemy, but not destroy either themselves or the environment to the point at which it’s no longer livable. This is one of the interesting things that shifts to the foreground when thinking about agents in the context of existential risks. As for people fighting to the death, often this was done for the sake of group survival, where the group is the relevant unit here. (Thoughts?)
I actually think most historical groups wanted to vanquish the enemy, but not destroy either themselves or the environment to the point at which it’s no longer livable. This is one of the interesting things that shifts to the foreground when thinking about agents in the context of existential risks. As for people fighting to the death, often this was done for the sake of group survival, where the group is the relevant unit here. (Thoughts?)