War As An Effect On Science Essay

, Research Paper

War as an effect on Science

Today, war is something that people try to avoid. The many wars and conflicts that

resulted from the past century have presented the harsh, bloody truths of warfare. The

increasing presence of media coverage has created the attempt to better our humanity. It

can be seen that wars have greatly impacted science and technology in many areas such as

transportation, communication, and medical practices.

Much of today?s transportation has been greatly influenced by our past wars. The

two World Wars brought great developments in the construction of the gas engine which

has become a great entity in the modern automobile. We now have smooth, efficient

engines that can power us most anywhere. Aeronautical advancements made by the air

force over the years have become incorporated into today?s air planes. This brought about

the evolution of small, slow aircraft into large, fast machines that can cross oceans in only

hours. Also, Military satellites and guidance systems that were developed during the cold

war have made is possible for someone to find their exact location on the earth in a matter

of seconds. All these important developments in transportation have stemmed from the

military during war threatening times.

Our great communication systems that save many of us daily have also been

greatly affected by past military action. Hand held two-way radios developed for military

purposes can be used today to maintain communication with someone a couple of miles

away. Military operations have also sparked the usage of the computer and the internet.

Computers have become an extremely important part of communication in today?s society,

making many recourses readily accessible and sending letters more quick. Also,

communication lines that exist between continents and allow communication to all ends of

the world were first set up for military communication. Wars and military conflict have

greatly increased the importance of quick, easy communication.

Today?s medical practices are truly amazing. The many operations that can be

performed and sicknesses that can be cured are unbelievable Much of our medical

knowledge developed from periods of war. People got injuries and sicknesses that had

never been seen before causing the medical field to gain much experience in areas that had

never been a large concern. Doctors and medical teams also had to learn to act quickly

and efficiently in order to not get too bogged down in the great numbers of patients. Our

medical field would not have gained as much knowledge and experience as it has without

periods of warfare.

It is apparent that wars have been a great influence on today?s technology and

sciences such as transportation, communication, and the medical field thus advancing

humanity. War creates a period of contention between two enemies in which each must

strive to develop the most advanced technologies in order to be the victor. For example,

during the cold war, the technologies of the United States and the Soviet Union increased

rapidly to keep each other from becoming overpowering. For this reason, war is a

necessity for the advancement of science.