In this blog post, we will look at how devastating wars have influenced human progress through technological development and spiritual growth.
What is war? The meaning of war has changed a lot in modern times, but most people still think of “fighting” when they hear the word “war.” However, fights between friends or siblings are not called wars. I think two important keywords are needed to define the word “war.” One is “power” and the other is “survival.” In other words, war can be defined as a battle in which two or more forces fight with everything they have for survival.
So, can we say that war has had a positive impact on humanity, especially on the progress of humanity? I think so. There are two main reasons for this. The first is the progress of humanity through technological development. The forces involved in the war had to mobilize all possible means to survive. These desperate efforts naturally led to technological advancements, many of which had a powerful impact on humanity. The second is the progress of humanity through mental development. Although humanity was frustrated by the devastating consequences of war, efforts and reflection to restore damaged values have taught humanity a great lesson. Let’s take a look at this through specific examples.
During World War II, the German U-boat submarine caused enormous damage to the Allied forces. The German submarines hid their presence on the seabed and attacked and sank the Allied ships when they appeared. The Allied forces were at a loss. The main reason why it was difficult to defend against German submarine attacks was that they used the most sophisticated and difficult-to-crack radio encryption system in the world. This encryption system was called “Enigma.” Enigma was a cryptographic machine that was used like a typewriter, and the name also refers to the encryption system itself. After securing Enigma, the Allies desperately formed an Enigma decryption team to understand the Axis’ operations. One of the members was Alan Turing, who is known as the father of computer science today. Just before being scouted for the cryptography team, Turing was working on the Turing machine, the first virtual computing machine. He developed the Turing machine he was studying and made a significant contribution to the decoding of Enigma, which had a large number of possible cases. This led to the rapid development of the field of machine computation, which in turn led to the development of computer science. Considering the contributions that computer science has made to various fields, including communications, it can be said that it has made a significant contribution to the progress of humanity.
The atomic bomb, which played a decisive role in the Allied victory in World War II, is another example of human progress through technological advancement. At the time, the Axis powers, led by Germany, and the Allies, led by the United States, made great efforts to develop the atomic bomb faster than their opponents. Two steps were required to create the atomic bomb. The first was to extract or create fissile material, which is the main ingredient of an atomic bomb, and the second was to use the created fissile material to manufacture a bomb. The second step was much more difficult and required a high level of technology than the first step. This was because the process of exploring how fissile material interacts under certain conditions to cause a powerful chain reaction could result in an explosion or a leak of radioactivity. The reason for continuing the research despite the risks was simple: to win the war. If it had not been for the urgency of the war, the Allies would not have undertaken such risky research. This attempt spurred the development of nuclear technology, and today, nuclear power is being used as an alternative energy source.
In addition to the examples of computer science and nuclear energy technology, World War I and World War II coincided with a period of rapid scientific and technological development. In war, it was important to identify enemies and allies, which led to the development of radar technology, which in turn led to the development of electromagnetic wave technology for sending and receiving signals. In addition, food processing and transportation technologies were developed to solve the problem of food supply, which had a significant impact on the morale of soldiers. More fighter planes and warships were needed to attack the enemy and move quickly, which led to significant advances in aviation and shipbuilding technologies. As a result, it is now possible to reach any region in a day or two. These technologies are essential in modern society, and war has acted as a “competition” between various forces, leading to technological development.
So far, we have looked at examples of human progress through technological development. In addition, we can find examples of how war has helped humanity grow mentally. The most easily remembered example is the mental development gained from German Nazism. The massacres and atrocities committed by the Nazi regime against the Jews are well known. No matter what Germany does in the modern era, the terrible crimes they committed cannot be forgiven. However, they admit their mistakes, reflect on them constantly, and are ashamed of what their ancestors did. This is setting a good example for other countries. The atrocities of the Nazis have made the public aware of the fact that war can make people suffer horribly. This awareness has made the public think deeply about war, and today, public opinion is even stronger in favor of avoiding war. Ironically, past wars have resulted in preventing modern wars.
The famous example of the sculpture The Burghers of Calais is another example of the contribution to the spiritual development of humanity. During the Hundred Years’ War, the port city of Calais in northern France was a strategically important military stronghold. The English army besieged and attacked Calais, but it took about a year to capture it due to the desperate resistance of the citizens of Calais. After the British army occupied the city, they tried to massacre the citizens of Calais, but six citizens decided to sacrifice themselves to save the rest of the citizens. They went to the British king themselves, but fortunately, they were saved by the queen’s plea. The sacrifice of these six citizens became an important lesson that awakened the sense of responsibility of the social leaders. This example, which clearly shows what noblesse oblige is, is one of the lessons humanity has learned from war.
The examples mentioned so far are just a few of the lessons learned from war. It may be difficult to conclude that war has had a positive impact on human progress. It may also be a bit naive to think that simply developing technologically and mentally has contributed to human progress. In modern times, there have been many new types of crimes that would not have occurred without computer science, and many people are aware of the environmental problems of nuclear power plants. Nevertheless, the reason I argue that war has advanced humanity is because war has become a “pattern” for humanity. Having a pattern suggests the direction in which humanity should go, which is like having state-of-the-art navigation. Thanks to navigation systems, no one gets lost and can sometimes find a shortcut. The course of the war was terrible and devastating, but its outcome can be said to have provided a great lesson for humanity and led to the progress of humanity.
