This was a very fascinating read and elegantly generalizes some truths that I've been only vaguely aware of. History and warfare is more often in effect a brutal and bloody competition between societies' efficiency.

This has implications for how the future could look that go far beyond what seems most "reasonable", what looks most like the past and what will make each individual person feel best. It doesn't necessarily have to be war - it could also happen through peaceful but intense competition and trade.