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Missile Defense

Technology has always found its greatest consumer in a nation's war and defense efforts. Since the last attempts at a "Star Wars" defense system, has technology changed considerably enough to make the latest Missile Defense initiatives more successful? Can such an application of science be successful? Is a militarized space inevitable, necessary or impossible?

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rshow55 - 10:28am Aug 12, 2003 EST (# 13285 of 13290)
Can we do a better job of finding truth? YES. Click "rshow55" for some things Lchic and I have done and worked for on this thread.

For a news organization - playing it straight - sending in clear - is generally safer - better - and better business.

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But there are other considerations, for an organization as complex, and multiply connected as the TIMES, and perhaps some might be related to this fine article:

Has Stanley Williams Left the Gang? By KIMBERLEY SEVCIK http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/10/magazine/10WILLIAMS.html includes this:

. . .

There are people making decisions about Stanley Williams who may not wish to kill him, may appreciate some things he's doing, may not doubt the essence of anything he says, but don't want him "running around loose" either.

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13280 http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@13.lh3cbfH4y8F.3017894@.f28e622/14966 continues the thought . .

"Are there people making decisions about Robert Showalter who may not wish to kill him, may appreciate some things he's doing, may not doubt the essence of anything he says, or anyway, not much, but don't want him "running around without reasonable constraints" either?"

It is certainly true that people with power, who made decisions about Galileo, didn't wish to kill him, appreciated some of the things Galelio did, were willing to consider that probability that much of what Galileo said was right, thought with reservations, but didn't want Galelio "running around without reasonable constraints" either.

Contrarian's Contrarian: Galileo's Science Polemics By GEORGE JOHNSON http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/12/science/12ESSA.html

Galileo: Selfless hero of popular legend who championed scientific truth over blind religious faith, or vainglorious self-promoter spoiling for a fight?

Of course, the answer could be, and is, "clearly both - from different points of view that can be specifically stated." There is no contradiction about that.

Johnson's last paragraph has an interesting phrase

" bullheaded fumbling — the essence of the scientific search"

and there's something to that. There are issues of mechanics about getting scientific searches, or engineering searches, or other thought, to converge quickly, safely, and well. And moral questions, too . http://www.mrshowalter.net/DBeauty.html

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New York Times on the Web Forums Science Missile Defense