In this essay, I explore the relation of science with war in the 30s and the vision about science as conceived by visionaries like Vannevar Bush.
Science before the war
The very meaning of the word science is "to know". Scientists were driven by the desire to explore the laws of nature and to deepen the human knowledge and understanding. All the scientific research was geared towards one goal - the betterment of human-kind. Most of the research was done for the intellectual satisfaction gained out of it.
Impact of the war
In first world war, the very notion of science changed. The roadmap of science and technology was given a sharp turn in the 30s. Knowledge no longer remained the only motivation for for science. Technologies were developed to win the war, kill the enemy, and not for the greater good of mankind. The very foundations on which science was based, were shaken.
The WW I was considered to be "war of chemists" where chemicals were employed for mass destruction. 1930s was the period when a lot of new technologies emerged, not due to the usual drive for the betterment of man, but through the insane drive to vanquish the enemy and the brutal urge to wipe them out.
Cybernetics
Cybernetics is an example of one such branch of science. It was literally born out of war. It had many fundamentally revolutionary ideas at its root. The main concept behind it was that under extreme conditions like very high altitude, high mental tension and high speed aircraft manipulation, rather than fully processing the situation and then taking the decision, human mind behaves mechanically. This understanding paved the way to model human mind mathematically (at least in extreme situations). Then followed extensive research and result was high precision anti aircraft guns!
Unlike many other technologies which were invented without war in mind, but proved to be very useful in the war, cybernetics was one which was invented keeping the war in mind, and then after war, it found applications in other fields.
Bush's vision for science
Bush rightly envisioned that the sheer amount of knowledge being produced by rapid development will change the methods of acquisition and storage. And accordingly he developed, or at least paved a way to develop these technologies. He predicted that traditional methods of acquisition and storage were not enough for this explosion of information.
Where do we stand now
After the end of cold war, once again we are back to the time when science is done for development's sake rather than for destruction.
Many technologies which were war specific have been turned upside down for the greater good. For example, U.S. used the technology captured from German rocket scientists to send men on moon, and in general, take the first step of man towards space exploration. The satellite technology which was originated from the need to spy on the enemy without being easily spotted, is now used for communication and networking.
Bush's vision has come true and we have been able to cope up with the "information overload" which he predicted. In the form of world wide web, we have achieved the goal of efficient mechanism for storage and acquisition of knowledge.
References
Science before the war
The very meaning of the word science is "to know". Scientists were driven by the desire to explore the laws of nature and to deepen the human knowledge and understanding. All the scientific research was geared towards one goal - the betterment of human-kind. Most of the research was done for the intellectual satisfaction gained out of it.
Impact of the war
In first world war, the very notion of science changed. The roadmap of science and technology was given a sharp turn in the 30s. Knowledge no longer remained the only motivation for for science. Technologies were developed to win the war, kill the enemy, and not for the greater good of mankind. The very foundations on which science was based, were shaken.
The WW I was considered to be "war of chemists" where chemicals were employed for mass destruction. 1930s was the period when a lot of new technologies emerged, not due to the usual drive for the betterment of man, but through the insane drive to vanquish the enemy and the brutal urge to wipe them out.
Cybernetics
Cybernetics is an example of one such branch of science. It was literally born out of war. It had many fundamentally revolutionary ideas at its root. The main concept behind it was that under extreme conditions like very high altitude, high mental tension and high speed aircraft manipulation, rather than fully processing the situation and then taking the decision, human mind behaves mechanically. This understanding paved the way to model human mind mathematically (at least in extreme situations). Then followed extensive research and result was high precision anti aircraft guns!
Unlike many other technologies which were invented without war in mind, but proved to be very useful in the war, cybernetics was one which was invented keeping the war in mind, and then after war, it found applications in other fields.
Bush's vision for science
Bush rightly envisioned that the sheer amount of knowledge being produced by rapid development will change the methods of acquisition and storage. And accordingly he developed, or at least paved a way to develop these technologies. He predicted that traditional methods of acquisition and storage were not enough for this explosion of information.
Where do we stand now
After the end of cold war, once again we are back to the time when science is done for development's sake rather than for destruction.
Many technologies which were war specific have been turned upside down for the greater good. For example, U.S. used the technology captured from German rocket scientists to send men on moon, and in general, take the first step of man towards space exploration. The satellite technology which was originated from the need to spy on the enemy without being easily spotted, is now used for communication and networking.
Bush's vision has come true and we have been able to cope up with the "information overload" which he predicted. In the form of world wide web, we have achieved the goal of efficient mechanism for storage and acquisition of knowledge.
References
- The Ontology of the Enemy: Norbert Wiener
- Cybernetic Vision : Peter Galison
- The History and Development of Cybernetics : The George Washington University
- Wikipedia
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