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What other actions were scientists so preoccupied with whether or not they could, that they didn't stop to think if they should? (lemmy.ml)

submitted 4 months ago by lemuria@lemmy.ml to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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[–] wuphysics87@lemmy.ml 46 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Alfred Nobel, the originator of the Nobel prize, invented dynamite believing mutually assured destruction would end war.

[–] napoleonsdumbcousin@feddit.de 38 points 4 months ago

Your comment is only technically correct, so I am gonna add to that:

Alfred Nobel did invent dynamite and was also a believer in mutually assured destruction, BUT: those two facts are not directly connected.

Dynamite in itself was not intended for warfare, but for mining. It was still relatively unstable so not really suited for warfare. (TNT, which came around 1900, solved that problem.)

Nobel did invent smokeless powder for warfare and he transformed Bofors into an arms manufacturing company though.

https://www.nobelprize.org/alfred-nobel/alfred-nobels-thoughts-about-war-and-peace/

[–] Aurenkin@sh.itjust.works 33 points 4 months ago (2 children)

To be fair, mutually assured destruction likely will end war but maybe not in the way we hope.

[–] milkisklim@lemm.ee 12 points 4 months ago

To be fair, it has been holding off nuclear war since 1949.

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 2 points 4 months ago

That assumes that you believe that the world would be a safer place if only one nation had nuclear weapons. I would imagine that would be the least safe of all possible scenarios.

If everyone has nuclear weapons at least there is the possibility they will never be used. If they are used it basically ensures the end of the world so, swings and roundabouts.