Intangible Preferences Are Not Irrational

The fourth cause of war is stable, arguably rational preferences for things not captured in the material pie—status, vengeance, ideals, dignity, the extermination of a competing identity—and pursuing these is not irrational, just as a homeowner rationally rejecting a higher bid from a disrespectful buyer values dignity over money; when actors can only obtain such intangible goods through violence, it hijacks the normal incentive toward peace.