Robins and Webster - cyberwars - the military information revolution

Most technologies are not neutral in their design. Especially technologies developed for warfare remain tainted with their original intention of destruction. Contrary to this view, many retort with the phrase, “guns don’t kill people, people kill people,” Whose view do you agree with and why?


it isn’t the gun that kills people, it’s the bullet – retrieved from
http://www.lickthelight.com/quick/img_sept11/1__se_guns_c_juaxss.jpg

I agree with Robins and Webster that technology is not neutral in its design. A designed object has been made for a purpose. Technology cannot be neutral because in being made for a purpose, by people, it is a tool made to be used in a certain way. Guns and warfare technologies are especially not neutral because they are made specifically to be able to kill and destroy, to be an extension of people’s abilities. Guns are not just a neutral object that can in some bad circumstances be used to kill – they are designed to kill.

Although it can be argued that some technologies are more neutral than others, that some technologies like medicine technologies, are designed to save people. In this case I would argue that they are still not neutral, that they are infact designed to be good.

Technologies are always designed for a purpose and not all the purposes of design will ever be neutral or good. In the example of medical technologies, often the design of treatments for diseases, although good in purpose, can often be driven by aims of profit (over pure wellbeing of people.) Also even if there were some technologies that are neutral, even they could have unintended negative side-effects, and the decision to still use them, despite negative side effects, would make even a ‘neutral’ technology less ‘neutral.’

I think that guns, (which are designed and used by people,) are designed and used to kill people. And although people kill people with whatever tools they have, guns are a non-neutral technology that are designed to be efficient powerful killing machines.