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Discussion » Statements » Rosie's Corner » We know of the connection between scientists and the military/war and the moral dilemma that results. Remember the Atomic Bomb?
RosieG

We know of the connection between scientists and the military/war and the moral dilemma that results. Remember the Atomic Bomb?

Astrophysicist Neil Degrasse Tyson has written a book titled "Accessory to War" in which he talks of the unspoken alliance between astrophysics and the military. He asserts that astro physicsts are generally liberals and anti-war but are complicit with what the military does. Now how would YOU feel if your life's work led to the annihilation of countless human beings?

Posted - September 12, 2018
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Responses


  • 6098
    All very well and good to talk about oh how wonderful it would be if there were no wars but from a practical point of views there will always be wars and if people are going to wage them or win them they will always need weaponry.  So someone has to design and produce and operate them.  We can say oh I am above anything like that and avoid any taint of it and get on our moral high horses and look down on those we depend on to fight for us and just hope we will not be annihilated by a fierce and destructive enemy.  Or we can do our part if we have to. Wars are not fun nor are they supposed to be. 

    I work for a company which designs machinery some of which is used to produce weapons some of which I am sure have killed people.  So the blood is on my hands if I wish to look at it that way.  But we can never know whether or just how often anything we do or a comment we make will have the same effect and lead to the destruction of people and property.  Nor can we ever know how much what we do or what we work to produce , even weapons, may SAVE the lives of countless millions even as it destroys the lives of others. 

    That is just the way things are. We can help to make it better but we cannot change the way things are. 
      September 12, 2018 7:32 AM MDT
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  • 5391
    I can only relate from afar to one for whom this is true:

    Upon witnessing the first nuclear detonation, at Alamogordo NM in 1945, physicist Robert Oppenheimer, the “father of the atomic bomb”, is said to have recalled a quote from the Bhagavad Gita (a Hindu scripture): “I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds”.

    My impression is that Dr Oppenheimer held great trepidation at the birth of this new horror, knowing full well it would be put into use as a tool of mass destruction. 
    I can’t say that I’d feel differently. This post was edited by Don Barzini at September 13, 2018 3:10 AM MDT
      September 12, 2018 8:46 PM MDT
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  • 113301
    Two-edged sword. Some  things can be used to help or used to harm....used for good or used for evil depending upon your intentions. A fire can warm you. You can use it to cook your food. It can also destroy structures and people and crops. Wasn't more damage caused by the fires that ensued after the Great San Francisco Earthquake than the earthquake itself? But those were not intentionally set. Snow is good for skiers of oourse and they look forward to winter because they can ski. The Olympics feature different sports that are snow-based. But an avalanche can kill people too if they get caught in one. Of course snow is not a human invention. Some drugs can be used to mitigate/ameliorate pain but if used excessively they can cause death. I dunno DB.I wonder if the trade-off is worth it? The internet is a place where we can learn things and meet folks we'd never meet otherwise. It's where I go to get information on politicians before I vote in Primaries and General Elections. It used to be so much more time-consuming to find out about people  BI (before internet). On the other hand it is a place where you can get specific instructions on how to build  bomb or spread lies about political opponents or create bots to trick people into believing things that are not true.  Terrorists use it to communicate and plot. Would we have been better off without it?  SIGH. Thank you for your reply and Happy Thursday! :) This post was edited by RosieG at September 13, 2018 3:26 AM MDT
      September 13, 2018 3:23 AM MDT
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