Randall Collins is unparalleled as a sociologist of violence. Yet I here take issue with his view, often expressed by scholars, that moral qualms have prevented many modern soldiers or airmen from shooting or killing. Evidence from soldiers and airmen in modern wars shows that they may hesitate momentarily before their first killing, but then killing eases. The tragedy is that qualms only seem to strike soldiers after their war has ended, contributing substantially to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Soldiers can kill easily if ordered to by effective coercive authority, especially if the enemy is shooting at them. This grim conclusion is at least balanced by the rarity of ‘real killers’ – soldiers who enjoy and are excited by killing.

中文翻译：

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战场上的恐惧、厌恶和道德疑虑

兰德尔柯林斯是一位无与伦比的暴力社会学家。然而，我在这里对他经常由学者表达的观点表示异议，即道德疑虑阻止了许多现代士兵或飞行员开枪或杀人。现代战争中士兵和飞行员的证据表明，他们在第一次杀戮之前可能会犹豫片刻，但随后杀戮就会变得轻松。悲剧在于，士兵们似乎只有在战争结束后才会感到不安，这对创伤后应激障碍造成了重大影响。如果受到有效强制权力的命令，士兵可以轻松杀人，尤其是在敌人向他们开枪的情况下。这个严峻的结论至少与“真正的杀手”的稀有性相平衡——他们享受杀戮并为杀戮而兴奋。