Computers and the War

Fun Fact: Did anyone know this Hollywood film on Turing was coming out?


The essay "Why Build Computers?..." describes WWII's direct link to the need for better weapon technology and the advancement of computers through the ENIAC project, etc. The military's involvement in computer research and the desire to be the most advanced during the war was so great that it is why we have computers today. We have come a long way from those beginning stages and unfortunately this has created ideological problem for those in the military wielding these advanced "computer-weapons."

Something very interesting about the advancement of computers in warfare is the separation, provided by automated weapons systems, between the war makers and those attacked. Computers are a vital part of technological weapons systems that take away soldiers from the blood and agony of fighting a war. Bombing, crew-less vehicles, and other techniques have increasingly removed soldiers and officers from the formal scene of the fighting. This separation makes it more bearable for some to create destruction with less consciousness of their results as opposed to seeing the horrific consequences directly. This is not to say that all soldiers behind automated weapons are mindless killers, but the fact that the direct contact can be eliminated is very frightening for the future of warfare.