http://idle.slashdot.org/story/10/01/04/1711257/the-most-obvious-scientific-discoveries-of-2009
There are four big scientific discoveries that were used to gain power since 1600. The first one was in 1805, the second one was in 1900, the third one was in 1928, and the final one was in 1938. The discovery in 1805 was discovered by John Dalton, the discovery was Atomic Theory. Atomic theory was the first step to gaining the ultimate power, though no one at the time knew it, it would come to be known in time.
http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-atomic-theory.htm
The second scientific discovery that would lead to the ultimate power was discovered in 1900 by Max Planck. This discovery is called Planck's law of black body radiation, which was the basis for quantum theory. Quantum theory is a step up from atomic theory, these two theories build on each other and make gaining the ultimate power a lot more attainable.
http://www.everythingology.com/new-quantum-theory-tries-to-replace-einsteins-theory-of-relativity/
The third discovery was actually split up into three different discoveries, but ended in 1928. The first of the three was discovered by Erwin Schrodinger in 1925. The discovery was called the Schrodinger equation which was the start of this three part discovery. The second part was discovered by Werner Heisenberg in 1927. This discovery was called the Uncertainty principle which led tho the third and final part of this discovery. The final part was discovered by Paul Dirac in 1928. This discovery was called the Dirac equation and is the final part in this discovery. The three parts make the discovery of Quantum mechanics which is the third part to gaining the ultimate power.
http://io9.com/5981842/why-quantum-mechanics-is-the-biggest-embarrassment-in-all-of-modern-physics
The final discovery was discovered in 1938, during World War 2, by Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner, and Fritz Strassmann. This discovery was called Nuclear fission. Nuclear fission was the final part to gaining the ultimate power. All the previous discoveries didn't seem like they would all fit together without nuclear fission because this discovery is what brings all of the other discoveries together.
http://visual.merriam-webster.com/science/chemistry/matter/nuclear-fission.php
These four discoveries gave man the ultimate power. This power is the atomic bomb. No person in history ever had this much destructive power, this is the power that ended World War 2 and brought the Cold War in years to come. Everyone feared this power, anyone who had this power could make threats that no one could ignore. Even today, in 2015, these same threats are still being made, just not to the same people. This is was people use scientific discoveries for, and I believe that in the future more discoveries will be made that will give people an even bigger power than the atomic bomb today. People use scientific discoveries to gain power.
http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/the-atomic-bomb-wwii
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_scientific_discoveries#16th_century
"Timeline of scientific discoveries"
I agree that scientific discoveries have been used to gain power. Another example, but on a lesser scale, was Louis XIV who was mad with power after basing his ruling off the scientific discovery of Galileo and Heliocentrism. I imagine he would have been apart of, or trying to create his own, atomic bomb if he were alive later in life. I also agree that the atomic bomb was/ is the ultimate power and that without science, we wouldn't be anywhere near it. We would probably still be living in the dark ages. However, there have been beneficial discoveries like Darwin's theory and findings of evolution or Albert Einstein, who was ironically part of the Manhattan project, and general relativity, which in now a huge cornerstone in modern physics. I liked your examples, but I'm on the fence as to whether or not science was used for TOTAL power. Definitely power over the church, but for dominance?
ReplyDeleteAlthough there have been many scientific discoveries that have been used in the past for power, I do not agree with your statement “Scientific discoveries have been used to gain power”. Although it can be present in many examples due to the atomic bomb, I would argue that is only due to the circumstance of the discovery. There have been many discoveries in the past that have changed the Western World, but this is the only one that has been and still is used as a symbol of power. Other scientific discovery however has been used to benefit humanity. This is present in discoveries with Benjamin Franklin and Isaac Newton. Franklin, as the inventor of electricity, has benefited humanity to a huge degree and is the reason as to why technology is where it is today. Without him, it could even be questioned if electrical technology would be invented yet. Newton, although had less of an impact on the Western World, discovered a lot of mathematical and scientific methods or laws that are still used in today’s world. These are just two examples in scientific discoveries that have benefited humanity to a huge degree. Although the atomic bomb was made by the sum of four other discoveries, it is only one example, due to its destruction, that shows how scientific discoveries are used for power. I would question what are other examples of such scientific discoveries where people use them “to gain power and use them for destruction”.
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