Death Before Death The myth surrounding the creation of the Nobel Prize is fascinating. It goes as follows. In 1888, a local French newspaper mistakenly assumed dead the famed inventor of dynamite, Alfred Nobel. Instead, his brother Ludvig had died recently of a heart attack, but the newspaper, assuming the death of the elder Nobel, published an article with the attached scathing headline: “The Merchant of Death is Dead.”
Kudos to the author - glad you were encouraged to publish your essay (and you might try improving it further and getting it published in a journal).
P.S. Another example in the same vein is Sam Cohen, the "inventor of the neutron bomb" who entitled his memoir "Shame." (I read it long ago, it was available only as a PDF then, and can say it is interesting but is a good example of a work that would have benefited from some more editing.) Cohen's memoir argues that the neutron bomb is morally superior to its nuclear predecessors. One aspect that it was prescient on, generally speaking, is that more precise weapons permit less weapon yield to accomplish the same objective and hence less "collateral damage" that challenges our morals. An example of the latter is the JDAM (GPS-guided bomb) first deployed around the time when Cohen's memoir was published (2000). https://www.amazon.com/Shame-Sam-Cohen/dp/0738822302 .
In retrospect, that comment essay needed an abstract (which I have now added). And I needed to summarize the main points better.
My comment has three main points:
(1) We need defense because otherwise we would be destroyed. And in defense, science and STEM are growing in importance.
(2) You can't know ahead of time what a discovery will eventually be used for, at least not always.
(3) This character Harari who is associated with the WEF is sort of a hypocrite.
The plans he and his associates in the WEF have for humanity are terrible. And they plan on using the very discoveries and advances that STEM makes.
But meanwhile, they think STEM people should not make any advances because they might be used for ill. But Harari and the WEF and people like them are those who want to use the advances for ill!
Great job, Jonah!
This is a fine article that brings up many important questions. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Kudos to the author - glad you were encouraged to publish your essay (and you might try improving it further and getting it published in a journal).
P.S. Another example in the same vein is Sam Cohen, the "inventor of the neutron bomb" who entitled his memoir "Shame." (I read it long ago, it was available only as a PDF then, and can say it is interesting but is a good example of a work that would have benefited from some more editing.) Cohen's memoir argues that the neutron bomb is morally superior to its nuclear predecessors. One aspect that it was prescient on, generally speaking, is that more precise weapons permit less weapon yield to accomplish the same objective and hence less "collateral damage" that challenges our morals. An example of the latter is the JDAM (GPS-guided bomb) first deployed around the time when Cohen's memoir was published (2000). https://www.amazon.com/Shame-Sam-Cohen/dp/0738822302 .
Great paper. It kept my interest and I learned a lot I didn’t know. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
I liked this essay by Washington University Junior Jonah Sachs.
I wrote a fairly extensive comment about this essay at:
https://thinkspot.com/discourse/eKuE2W/post/octaveoctave/comments-on-the-essay-between-research-and-responsibility/mJt1YJm
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In retrospect, that comment essay needed an abstract (which I have now added). And I needed to summarize the main points better.
My comment has three main points:
(1) We need defense because otherwise we would be destroyed. And in defense, science and STEM are growing in importance.
(2) You can't know ahead of time what a discovery will eventually be used for, at least not always.
(3) This character Harari who is associated with the WEF is sort of a hypocrite.
The plans he and his associates in the WEF have for humanity are terrible. And they plan on using the very discoveries and advances that STEM makes.
But meanwhile, they think STEM people should not make any advances because they might be used for ill. But Harari and the WEF and people like them are those who want to use the advances for ill!