Military Technology: Wired For War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict In The 21st Century by P.W. Singe

One of the original sins of our species is its inability to live at peace. The very beginnings of human history have provided us with conflicts over food, territory, riches, power and prestige. War is both a cause and effect of broader social change, resulting stratification into economic classes and the creation of politics itself. War is also described as a testing ground for nobility, a heights of human creativity. Many of our great works of literature, arts, and science either are inspired by war or are reactions to it (Singer, p. 5). In his book, Wired For War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict In The 21st Century, P.W. Singer examines the trends that are starting to converge in military technology and innovation. The future of U.S. warfare and military intervention is upon us, and it seems to fabricate an idea of getting rid of, or at least minimizing the role of a human warrior. Singer explores every aspect of the rise of military robotics from the historical to the ethical, all the while diving into the philosophical questions that arise as a result. He splits the book into two parts; Part one, attempts to capture this moment of great change, to understand the changes that we are creating. In order to assess this new technology in war and robotics, the author will hit key issues such as the history of robots, how these technologies work, and who creates them. Part two, will explore what all this change is creating for us. It will cover everything from the resulting shifts in how wars are fought to important questions that our new machine creations are starting to raise in politics, law, and ethics. War just won’t be the same (Singer, p. 41).
The idea of creating mechanical beings to replace the work of humans is at lea...

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...a battle zone filled with biological or chemical weapons, where a human would have to wear a bulky suit and protective gear. Beyond just the factor of putting humans into dangerous environments, technology does not have the same limitations as the human body (Singer, p. 63). “The human is becoming the weakest link in defense systems.” The U.S. military is deciding that in the long run we can do more with machines that it can do without them. Therefore, if the military were going to buy a new weapon, it would now have to justify why it was not a robotic one (Singer, p. 65). The history of robots came to a full circle, unmanned systems were once considered abnormal and restricted. As the twenty-first century began, they were expected to be in use.

Works Cited

Singer, P. W. . Wired for War: Robotics revolution and conflict in the 21st century. Penguin Press, print.