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-Land of the Free
George Friedman: The Irony Of High Tech
2017-06-27
[GeopoliticalFutures] Much of the technology we now consider peaceful was designed to allow the United States to wage global thermonuclear war.
Posted by:charger

#9  Smart phone is the prettiest handcuffs I've ever seen.
Posted by: swksvolFF   2017-06-27 15:24  

#8  I believe a lot of tech was created for peaceful purposes and weaponized later by the left. Social media for example.
Posted by: rjschwarz   2017-06-27 14:36  

#7  For me, the interesting part of the article comes near the end.

New generations of technology are needed to raise productivity. If the model that has been in place since before World War II continues, then another generation of entrepreneurs will take advantage of military research and development, deploy it, and announce how much they dislike government interference in their work. Selling products is important, but we need to understand the role that war plays in consumer products. For the pacifists who love technology, and the libertarians who love it at least as much, there is a deep irony at work.

Consider all the SJWs in the tech world who might not have a job without all that icky military spending.
Posted by: Thrack Chinesing8451   2017-06-27 11:50  

#6  I'm gonna call horsecrap.

Does war kick innovation into overdrive - sure. Which came first, the chariot or the wheel? The church bell or the cannon? The telegraph or the internet? The war horse or the draft horse? The microprocessor or the loom?
Posted by: swksvolFF   2017-06-27 10:22  

#5  George needs a refresher with the history of 'technology'. Technology has a long tale of development and dependencies much of which starts before the 20th century and government as we see it today.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2017-06-27 08:37  

#4  Water can be drunk but it can also drown you.

And the things fire can do...

Face it everything has a duel use.
Posted by: CrazyFool   2017-06-27 08:13  

#3  The internal combustion engine was designed for peaceful purposes but it was also used for tanks and aircraft. Water can be drunk but it can also drown you.
Posted by: JohnQC   2017-06-27 08:10  

#2  Put differently, the private sector builds off the foundation created by the government.

So Obama was right - You *didn't* build that!
Posted by: Bobby   2017-06-27 08:05  

#1  Well, everybody knows that tech advances come mostly from war times - survival instinct vs. entrenched economic interests
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2017-06-27 07:06  

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