In a rare move, Britain’s Royal Society, its premier science institute, has released a paper, warning the scientific community about the dangers of engaging in neurological research that could wind up being used by various military entities to create weapons that could be controlled by the mind alone, allowing for as yet unimaginable new ways for soldiers to kill their targets on the battlefield.
The idea, says the authors is that weapons that could be controlled by the mind would be far more accurate than anything in use today, much as a robot controlled by a surgeon can be more accurate due to the absence of shaking and other physical human movement. If a soldier could control a stationary weapon with his or her mind, the precision with which they could shoot would be greatly improved. They also suggest that advances in the neural sciences could even lead to pharmaceuticals that could be used to provide altered states of reality for soldiers, alleviating them from having to experience the horror of war, even while in the midst of it. And if that’s not enough, they say that ongoing research looking into ways to improve educational methods could lead to mass programs for training soldiers on how to behave in the field.
Much of what the author’s write about can be taken in one of two ways of course. For those who see military advancement as a good thing, adding neurological components should be boon. For those, on the other hand, who see developing such technology for the express purpose of killing other people more efficiently, effectively and with less chance of loss of life for the inflictor, seems more like something that should be constrained to the movie theater. And that, is precisely whey the Royal Society has chosen to take this momentous step, because it’s members believe that science should be about advancing our species, not extermination.
The authors, made up of preeminent scientists from a variety of sciences, also suggest that new advances made for medical purposes could also be used to boost endurance, make the mind more clear, and allow for extended missions that preclude the need for sleep.
In short, they say, neuroscience is on the cusp of some great leaps, and they suggest it might be wise to pause for a moment before delving any further, to ensure that we as a civilized people, really want to head into such an unknown future without some serious forethought.