A Philosophy of War

There’s something about a book that hasn’t yet arrived on shelves but is already generating serious anticipation that makes you sit up and pay attention. A Philosophy of War: Why We Fight is set to release in January 2026 from Verso Books, and it’s shaping up to be one of those rare philosophical works that arrives at exactly the moment we need it most. The author is Frédéric Gros, the bestselling philosopher behind A Philosophy of Walking, and if you’re familiar with that work, you already know we’re in for something intellectually ambitious yet deeply human.

What makes this forthcoming release so intriguing is Gros’s track record of taking seemingly straightforward subjects—walking, in his previous work—and excavating their philosophical depths in ways that completely reframe how we think about them. With A Philosophy of War, he’s turning his attention to humanity’s oldest preoccupation: conflict itself. This isn’t a military history or a tactical manual. This is philosophy in its most essential form—asking the fundamental questions about why we fight, what drives us to violence, and what war reveals about human nature.

“The best-selling author of A Philosophy of Walking returns to address the eternal subject of human conflict.” This tagline alone tells you everything about Gros’s approach: he’s not claiming to have all the answers, but rather inviting us into a serious conversation about one of humanity’s most persistent and troubling features.

The book will be a compact but dense work—scheduled for 112 pages, which means Gros is distilling complex ideas into their purest form. In our current landscape of bloated nonfiction, there’s something refreshing about a philosopher willing to say what needs saying without padding it out. When Verso publishes a book this lean, you know every word carries weight.

Key reasons readers are already anticipating this January 2026 release:

• Timely subject matter — In a world of ongoing conflicts and geopolitical tensions, a philosophical interrogation of war itself feels urgently necessary
• Gros’s distinctive voice — His previous work combines accessibility with genuine intellectual rigor, making complex ideas feel like conversations rather than lectures
• The Verso stamp — Known for publishing challenging, thought-provoking work that refuses easy answers
• The format — A short, powerful treatise rather than an encyclopedic tome suggests Gros has distilled something essential

What’s particularly fascinating is that Gros doesn’t approach war as an aberration or a problem to be solved through mere policy adjustments. Instead, he seems to be asking deeper questions: What does war tell us about ourselves? What human needs does it fulfill—or appear to fulfill? How does conflict shape civilization, identity, and meaning? These are the kinds of questions that linger long after you finish reading, the ones that reshape how you understand the news, history, and human relationships.

The philosophical tradition has always grappled with war—from Heraclitus to Clausewitz to contemporary thinkers. But Gros brings something distinctive to this conversation: a willingness to take seriously the idea that war is not simply a failure of civilization, but something deeply woven into human existence. This doesn’t mean endorsing it, but understanding it demands more nuance than simple condemnation.

Since the book hasn’t yet published in January 2026, we can only speculate about the precise arguments Gros will make. But if A Philosophy of Walking is any guide, we can expect:

1. Philosophical rigor combined with accessible prose—no obscure jargon for its own sake
2. Historical examples that illustrate broader truths about human nature and conflict
3. Moral seriousness without preachiness—Gros takes his subjects seriously and expects the same from readers
4. Questions that matter more than pat answers—he’s genuinely interested in what philosophy can illuminate about the human condition

Given the current geopolitical climate and the persistent reality of armed conflict worldwide, A Philosophy of War is anticipated to spark important conversations among readers, philosophers, historians, and anyone grappling with fundamental questions about human society.

The book will arrive as English translation and digital edition simultaneously, making it accessible to a broad audience—which matters because these ideas deserve to circulate widely. War isn’t a specialized subject for academics alone; it touches all of us through history, through current events, through culture and art and literature.

This is the kind of book that reminds us why we read philosophy in the first place: not for comfort, but for clarity. Not to tell us what we already believe, but to challenge us to think more deeply about what we think we understand. When A Philosophy of War arrives in early 2026, it will likely find an audience hungry for exactly this kind of serious, sustained reflection on one of humanity’s most difficult and persistent questions.