John Forge considers the moral dilemma of the weapons designer.
http://philosophynow.org/issues/59/No_C ... alashnikov
No Consolation For Kalashnikov
Re: No Consolation For Kalashnikov
This is surely a very important problem, but it seems far deeper than a moral dilemma. The concept of moral dilemma would seem to presume that we are in control of the development of knowledge, and thus are in a position to make choices. Is this true?
An alternative theory would be that knowledge is force of nature, and that we aren't driving it, but riding it.
We have thousands of nuclear missiles aimed down our own throats, and are poised to erase 10,000 years of human civilization in a single afternoon. One bad day is all it takes.
Doesn't the fact that we've largely grown used to and accepted this insane situation argue that we've already realized that knowledge development is sort of like the weather, and there's really little we can do about it?
An alternative theory would be that knowledge is force of nature, and that we aren't driving it, but riding it.
We have thousands of nuclear missiles aimed down our own throats, and are poised to erase 10,000 years of human civilization in a single afternoon. One bad day is all it takes.
Doesn't the fact that we've largely grown used to and accepted this insane situation argue that we've already realized that knowledge development is sort of like the weather, and there's really little we can do about it?