war make the civilization?
42RM
Banned
War is the driving force behind human civilization.
The very thing that threatens to destroy civilization is what drives civilization to improve its technology and social development. It is a sad fact that from the art of killing other humans, we have derived most of the tools and social organization that make up our societies.
The connection between war and the advancement of learning was noted even in ancient times. The ancient Greek writer Aristophanes stated:
"Yet, certainly, the wise learn many things from their enemies; for caution preserves all things. From a friend you could not learn this, but your foe immediately obliges you to learn it. For example, the states have learned from enemies, and not from friends, to build lofty walls, and to possess ships of war. And this lesson preserves children, house, and possessions."
There is much truth embedded in this simple statement: cities learn how to build walls from their enemies. They learn because of war. Now of course we no longer build walls around cities, but this is because the art of war has made walls obsolete. In other words, the science of war has led to siege engines, counter siege engines, explosives, artillery, airplanes, which have made walls and fortifications useless.
But the truth is still there: cities learned to build walls to protect themselves against attackers. To build walls, the people learned to quarry rock, they developed masonry, they developed the social organization to organize and command groups of people to get the rocks, shape them, and erect them. In so doing, cities learned geometry, mathematics, architecture and so on. And the attackers, those who would breach the walls learned from their enemies too: they learned to build siege engines, and learned the principles of ballistics, of mathematics. They learned how to lay siege to impregnable fortresses by surrounding them and starving them into submission, and in so doing they learned how to keep large armies in the field around the cities and how to supply them with provisions for a long campaign.
To attack a city, people learned how to organize and move large numbers of men and camp followers. They developed logistics: wagons to move food end equipment, social organizations to draft soldiers, institutions such as the army to train them, chain of command, communication systems, maps, and so on. And this pattern continues to the present day. Our present civilization reaps the bitter fruits of a thousand wars, most long forgotten, that have been the true mother of invention.
The very thing that threatens to destroy civilization is what drives civilization to improve its technology and social development. It is a sad fact that from the art of killing other humans, we have derived most of the tools and social organization that make up our societies.
The connection between war and the advancement of learning was noted even in ancient times. The ancient Greek writer Aristophanes stated:
"Yet, certainly, the wise learn many things from their enemies; for caution preserves all things. From a friend you could not learn this, but your foe immediately obliges you to learn it. For example, the states have learned from enemies, and not from friends, to build lofty walls, and to possess ships of war. And this lesson preserves children, house, and possessions."
There is much truth embedded in this simple statement: cities learn how to build walls from their enemies. They learn because of war. Now of course we no longer build walls around cities, but this is because the art of war has made walls obsolete. In other words, the science of war has led to siege engines, counter siege engines, explosives, artillery, airplanes, which have made walls and fortifications useless.
But the truth is still there: cities learned to build walls to protect themselves against attackers. To build walls, the people learned to quarry rock, they developed masonry, they developed the social organization to organize and command groups of people to get the rocks, shape them, and erect them. In so doing, cities learned geometry, mathematics, architecture and so on. And the attackers, those who would breach the walls learned from their enemies too: they learned to build siege engines, and learned the principles of ballistics, of mathematics. They learned how to lay siege to impregnable fortresses by surrounding them and starving them into submission, and in so doing they learned how to keep large armies in the field around the cities and how to supply them with provisions for a long campaign.
To attack a city, people learned how to organize and move large numbers of men and camp followers. They developed logistics: wagons to move food end equipment, social organizations to draft soldiers, institutions such as the army to train them, chain of command, communication systems, maps, and so on. And this pattern continues to the present day. Our present civilization reaps the bitter fruits of a thousand wars, most long forgotten, that have been the true mother of invention.
Yossarian
Forum Resistance Leader
Wars both actual, and wars that have never happened have driven human development greatly in the last century alone.
In comeptition with each other for example. The United States and Soviet Union made many breakthroughs in human space expolaration and things such as the U.S. Interstate Highway System, and the Moscow Metro System for example both had military applications in Mind for the mere potential of war when they were constructed.
Other Outcomes of this example of military build up and tension includes the development of Earth Mapping satelites, and GPS, also the use of warships as Humanitarian aid platforms, as demostrated via the United States Navy in the 2004 Tusanmis diaster and treament of casualities and rescue operations after Hurricane Katrina. (the debacle that it was).
Many of the ships involved were built for a power struggle during the Cold War, and have capabilities to support thousands of crew and personel as well as launch aircraft around the clock.
These primarly military applications in example helped treat and feed victims and supply them with fresh water as they were transported to other refugee and support areas.
In short the strive of human beings killing each other has taken us to great heights, and many of the things we don't think about today, or the way we do things, have their orgins somewhere drenched in conflict, or the tension surrounding potential conflict.
In comeptition with each other for example. The United States and Soviet Union made many breakthroughs in human space expolaration and things such as the U.S. Interstate Highway System, and the Moscow Metro System for example both had military applications in Mind for the mere potential of war when they were constructed.
Other Outcomes of this example of military build up and tension includes the development of Earth Mapping satelites, and GPS, also the use of warships as Humanitarian aid platforms, as demostrated via the United States Navy in the 2004 Tusanmis diaster and treament of casualities and rescue operations after Hurricane Katrina. (the debacle that it was).
Many of the ships involved were built for a power struggle during the Cold War, and have capabilities to support thousands of crew and personel as well as launch aircraft around the clock.
These primarly military applications in example helped treat and feed victims and supply them with fresh water as they were transported to other refugee and support areas.
In short the strive of human beings killing each other has taken us to great heights, and many of the things we don't think about today, or the way we do things, have their orgins somewhere drenched in conflict, or the tension surrounding potential conflict.