The Ethics of Weapon and Military Research

Many people everyday get in their car, look at their navigation system and try to figure out how to get home. While they are driving, a voice will direct them in the correct direction, all they have to do is follow the directions. Once they are home they put some food in the microwave. While waiting for the food to cook, they might call someone on the their cell phone or check their e-mail. All of the technology mentioned above has either come directly from the military or researched with the help of the military. The navigation system or G.P.S.(Global Positioning Satellite) is used by the military to help them find there way just like you. It is also used to guide unmanned aircraft and missiles. The microwave oven was discovered while a scientist was doing research on radars for the military, when a candy bar melted in his pocket while he was working on the radar (Kamely 45). Cell phones, computers, and the internet where also researched by the military, to help with their communication and data transfer. The technology that was pioneered by the military has greatly improved our lives.

In recent years critics have condemned the military’s research into new weapon technology, saying it only leads to death and war. However, the benefits and security from the research far out weigh the drawbacks.

Military research today does not concentrate on making the biggest and most destructive bombs or weapons. A great deal of military funds are used on how to save lives not destroy them, saving the lives of soldiers, civilians, and even the enemy.

Medical research and technology has grown greatly. “If a soldier is critically wounded and needs to fly somewhere to receive better attention, the doctors can set up an operating room in the airplane and perform many surgical operations while in flight” (Herzog 234) . A little under 10 years ago this would have been impossible. This technology is currently being used in the war in Iraq. Many vaccines, including and E.Coli, anthrax, and a diarrhea vaccine, have been researched and are soon to be used. The modern soldier is also protected with Kevlar or some other synthetic material, worn as body army(Kamely 193). The medical units on the battle field are well trained and are extremely mobile making it easier to treat severe wounds. Research is done in bio-materials right now. Bio-materials are natural...

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...The same can be said for the research that is being conducted by the military.

The critics of military research seem to believe that it can only lead to death and destruction and no positive can come out of it, and that the people conducting the research are immoral people. The designer of these weapons are only doing their jobs and do not have any control on how the products are used. If a nation does not invest in military research or try to keep up with technology they have no way of defending themselves. They can easily be taken over, oppressed, and forced to live under some unwanted power, this would mean that there would be more death and destruction. This would show that if military research was stopped it can actually cause more damage than if the research is perused. Military research is a vital part of any country. It provides that country with a sense of security, and in the worse case it provides that country with protection if attacked. The research does not only benefit the military but as shown above the technology can benefit society as a whole, and will continue to protect people and raise the standard of living through the implementation of new technologies.