November 13, 2024

Wartime Science and Technology: The Big What If?

The focus of our discussions in class this week centered on how science, technology, and society are impacted by wars. WWI ushered in rapid scientific and technological advancement, and ultimately set the stage for a new era of achievement continuing with WWII and onward. The wars of the 20th century coincided with major discoveries in biology, physics, and chemistry. The machine of war certainly pushed science and technology to their limits and changed the world in the process. However, these wars and the subsequent Cold War had major impacts on science, technology, and society, not all of them being positive. War had an overall negative effect on science and technology. Instead of using these fields to better humanity, they were exploited for weapons and war-specific applications. These use of these technologies also brought harm to society in the form of casualties and environmental damage. If the advancements in science and technology made during the 20th century were put toward making the world a better place then our lives would be drastically different today.

The advent of WWI also coincided with the evolution of military technology. Countries created large conglomerates of scientists and engineers, focused on creating technology for the war, and using science to gain an advantage. These organizations produced amazing technological advancements including armored vehicles, tanks, aircraft, and machine guns. These inventions revolutionized technology and were truly amazing feats of engineering and science. Unfortunately, these advancements were also responsible for over 16 million casualties in WWI. WWI also brought us the use of chemical warfare including mustard and chlorine gas. These chemical weapons were extremely effective at weakening and even killing the enemy. If the scientists tasked with creating these weapons were instead told to put that energy toward civilian application, imagine the state of science and technology today. Our chemical and medical science would most likely be ahead of where it is today, and our transportation technology would probably be better as well.

Pentagon Now Expects ISIS to Use Mustard Gas in Mosul Fight | Military.com

These advancements in science and technology prepared us for a world at war, not a post-war world. Within this sentiment is where we begin to see how these wartime practices impacted our society. Probably the most famous example of societal impact from wars during this period is the use of the atomic bomb. Whether or not the bomb was necessary or not is a topic for another essay, what is important in this context is how the bomb impacted humanity. The atomic bomb devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Beyond the casualties from the initial explosion, many people died from exposure to radiation, cancer, and other complications from the bomb. The infrastructure in these two cities was completely wiped out and took years to rebuild.

The Reporter Who Told the World About the Bomb - The New York Times

The changes to science, technology, and society during the wars of the 20th century beg the obvious question: was it all worth it? While these wars brought great scientific minds together and produced impressive technological innovation and scientific discoveries, the cost was too high. Wars fundamentally changed the approach of scientists and engineers and steered the focus of science and technology away from achievement for the betterment of society. Instead, science and technology became tools to outwit opponents on the battlefield and the political arena. The truth is we squandered much of the progress made during this time by neglecting applications in normal life. The human toll is even more proof of why wartime science and technology are bad for society. Chemical warfare and radiation destroyed the lives of many people and in some cases permanently damaged our environment. Hopefully, society learns from these transgressions and turns its back on wars, and opens its arms to the exciting possibilities of scientific and technological progress.

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