War - A necessary evil?

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The use of defense included? I guess if you're in a secured compound, then you could set off the security alarm or something. Otherwise, if you plan to use your computer as a weapon, say as a projectile or melee tool, then it still may take a while to disconnect the darn thing!

If you're running Vista, your computer makes a much better melee weapon because you aren't so hesitant to really hit someone with it very hard.

That's even more funny than your post in the snitching thread! LOL

I use Windows 2000 Professional, fortunately.

Probably not. I'll bet many of them simply lack foresight.

I speak as someone who himself may one day work for a defense contractor, developing the latest and greatest autonomous weapons systems for the government (specifically the USA or People's Republic of China). I already know that it's wrong, but I'm more or less a nihilist, so it doesn't matter. People who claim to be moral agents and have a full understanding of the reaches of their labor should not work for the military-industrial complex. I understand, but I'm immoral. You apparently consider yourself a moral agent, but maybe you don't understand the real long-term effects of arms manufacturing.

According to the Bible there will be a time after which there will be no wars, however that time is not now and designing/constructing weapons AND using them is necessary at the present time. Search for words "swords into plowshares" yielded: Isaiah 2:4; Joel 3:10; Micah 4:3 I know you're not a believer, but this is from a perspective of a moral agent.

For humor's sake, I provide this video:


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEJ9HrZq7Ro[/youtube]

Yeah

Nukes are pretty devastating but they can't think "These animals created me?" and launch themselves

And I agree that there will be a time after which there will be no wars, probably sometime in the 22nd century



Uncanny.

I don't think nuclear devices are going to be very relevant, but if you design an AI with an itching
trigger finger, then it would really do a good job of destroying urban areas but not the end of humanity. Also, I believe such an attack against Israel would be futile, but that's my opinion.

A lot of what you were saying had multiple positive subject matches with my memory of this video.

That depends entirely on the kinds of effectors available to the system.

In particular, by the end of this century at the latest, there will probably be effectors in human form ready for such an AI, able to do all the nitty-gritty soldiering. (Actually, it wouldn't surprise me if the required software is developed before the hardware itself.) Given that development and the state of synthetic aperture radar and EMP shielding as they are now, it would be very difficult to wage any kind of war of attrition against the new enemy.

As long as we're posting videos

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPXVGQnJm0w[/youtube]

Except this time there won't be any international law, pangs of empathy or fear, incomplete knowledge or other such restrictions getting in the way

And to be quite honest, we probably have it coming anyway



What is Israel's significance besides the its economic output and certain degree of strategic value in accessing the rest of the Middle East?



Yeah me too.

Last edited by chever on 27 Aug 2008, 12:58 am, edited 1 time in total.

Why are you so certain that arms manufacturing is "wrong"? This is another pet peeve of mine, people assuming that their opinion is a given and then talking down to me when I disagree (don't you understand that guns are bad?). I don't think it's in dispute that people hurt and kill each other other just fine whether weapons are present or not, they are not a root cause of conflict. Like any tool, weapons increase efficiency, for good or for ill. Depending upon who's hands they are in, weaponry can allow the weak to fend off the strong or the malicious to oppress the unarmed, but it all comes back to the wielder. I don't understand why such a simple concept as personal responsibility is such a hard sell here.

I don't consider myself a moral agent, but I do have morals. If I simply wanted to profit, I have a number of rather insidious designs that skirt a loophole in the law to allow sales to ineligible persons without breaking the law. I could probably find a financial backer to stamp out a bunch of my design (it's not a firearm, no serial numbers) and flood the inner cities. Now THAT would be a Lex Luthor move, and would break my moral code. My moral code is obviously not that of most people, but I do have one. I do understand the long term affects of weapons development perfectly, that's why I want to insure that my country is always at it's forefront.

Incidentally, for those who are curious, US law has some very strange loopholes in it's firearms codes about what is actually considered a firearm. I made some sketches on a whim to see if I could create a niche product for cities such as Washington DC and Chicago that ban handguns completely. I'm not a lawyer, so I'm unsure of all of the legal ramifications, but I believe I have several such designs on the drawing board, where they will stay. Aside from my moral code, I can't imagine the public outrage and lawsuits if I tried to introduce such a product, and I'm sure the loophole I'd exploit would be closed post-haste. It is funny to picture the outrage though, at least to me...

It could be Asimov' world or Schwarzenegger's. Also, the EMP protected chips are costly and you wouldn't really need them for the enemies the US is fighting. Of course the US is developing or has developed microwave weapons for creating an EMP, so it would be useful to fight the USA if you really wanted to.






Speaking of flame weapons:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aph-3zEacuw[/youtube]






The reason why people are "sentimentally" attached to Israel. Biblically, the Israelim are God's chosen people, so if He exists then He may protect them. Particularly from Russia according to Ezekiel 38 through 39; which 39:17-20 is also echoed in Revelation 19:17-21. But, aside from the Bible, would you rather live in Israel or Iran?

In reality, the malicious usually oppress the unarmed (or poorly armed).



This is why:



Notice that individual deaths are very small wars.

And war is itself wasteful and pointless.



Guess you haven't kept abreast of the most recent DARPA projects. They endanger everyone.

But like I said: we have it coming



Ellison's, maybe.

Čapek's if you like



No.

http://www.cecer.army.mil/facts/sheets/FL16.html



I can definitely see lots of windowless cargo helicopters swarming over the Negev right now. And identical army guys pouring out of 'em too.



They're both s**tholes so I wouldn't want to live in either one of 'em. Why do you ask?

Deleted double post

Last edited by Dox47 on 27 Aug 2008, 4:42 am, edited 1 time in total.

Interesting. Would that be a State by State issue?

Here in Australia all States have very similar laws. A firearm is defined as anything that looks like a firearm. There is a case of a guy being prosecuted for illegal possession of a handgun for carying a cheap toy gun (not a replica) he used busking (street performance).

The old law used to define a firearm as anything that fired a projectile by means of compressed gas or powder/chemical reaction or whatever. It was said that technically an aerosol spray can would come under the definition.

However excluded from the current definition is any old gun (I forget how old) that is chambered for an obsolete round. So for example a double rifle chambered for 404 Jeffrey would not need a licence. However anyone with a 404 Jeffrey is probably not going to use it in any crime.

But back on topic, saying war is evil is a moral/value position. Just because one society (or people in it) may think its evil, others may think its a noble pursuit, bringing you closer to the gods.

All death is inevitable. Why is death by war worse than death by slipping in a bath tub?

(PS - I don't really believe that - I'm not in a good mood right now, but it is I think a valid point of view)

That one is quite exploitable if one had the mind to, I recently bought a perfectly serviceable .38 S&W break-top over the counter for $60, cash no paperwork. The thing is old enough to not have serial numbers on it, it's actually kind of a neat little revolver. I bought it to scavenge for parts for a project I'm working on, since it really has no collector's value and the price was right. It did occur to me that a less high minded individual might be tempted to throw some cartridges in it and go flip it on the street for a quick buck, but as said, I do have standards. Besides, as much as some homeboys rolling about with 1890's era heat might amuse me, I wanted it for myself. It's a good time to be buying guns right now, with the economy down and many people having to sell their disposable assets. See, there's another relative situation, one man's loss is another man's good buy.

There's a simple solution to this; arms for all! Or eliminate the malicious, I could go either way really.

Well if you really live your life to Jesus' philosophy, I congratulate you, I do not share your faith but if all so called christians followed the way Jesus showed this world would be much nicer. How do you put up with fools who call themselves christian and would not have the faintest idea of what it takes to live up to that claim.