Předmět Technology and warfare (JPM656)

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Materiál	Typ	Datum	Počet stažení

Sylabus

"Guns don’t kill people, people do," an NRA member would say in defence of the Second Amendment. Although we may doubt about relevancy of this saying in the gun control debate, it is rather difficult to deny its plausibility. And plausible it remains if we apply these words in the history of warfare. Until present days it has always been people who thrust a sword, shoot an arrow, pull a trigger, release bombs or launch a guided missile. Yet, weapons and military technology in general has always had a tremendous effect on the human ability to fight wars and kill other people. It hence is the aim of this course to explore the role of military technology in warfare.For man is not endowed with natural means of killing, artificial tools became necessary condition for the first human war to emerge and technological progress continues to be among the most significant factors shaping the face of warfare. How war is transformed by changing technologies is thus one of the central questions this course is concerned with. However, it is not only war what is shaped by the progress in military technology. The changes in military technology have also been closely related to the social and political transformations. The historical narrative about the state and modern civilisation would be only half-done if the development of war-related instruments was not included.Especially the modern history of mankind is a dramatic story of dealing with scientific and technological progress in general and ever-changing military technology in particular. It is another objective of this course to examine whether people and their states are naturally forced to participate in the so-called "Red Queen’s race", or whether their striving for new technologies is determined by cultural factors, or regulation and management of technological progress is well within the human powers. Closely related to the last point is the issue of ethics in technological progress in general and in the use of technology in war in particular.The course is structured into three blocks. The first block is framed with the concept of revolution in military affairs (RMA). It aims to explore the evolutionary and revolutionary changes in the military technology and their effects on warfare and society. The second block is concerned with human (dis)empowerment to steer or regulate the progress in military technology. The last block is dedicated to ethical questions related to the development and use of military technology. At the end of the first and second block there will be a short mid-term test.Teaching of this course will be based on three components: lectures, student presentations and class discussions. A mixture of these components may differ from class to class. Sometimes it will be mainly lecturer’s talk, other times the composition will be dominated by student presentations and subsequent discussions, yet other times all three components will be employed.MoodleThe e-learning platform ‘moodle’ is an essential part of this course. Every participating student is expected to enrol into the moodle-course (http://dl1.cuni.cz/course/view.php?id=4195) and regularly check its content. Moodle will provide a platform for communication between the course convenor and students, distribution of the required reading, mid-term examination.AssessmentActive class participationPresentationMid-term tests                                               Final essay                                         Course Structure1)      IntroductionBlock 1 (R)evolutions in military affairs2)      Pre-modern evolutions and the gunpowder revolution3)      Industrial revolution4)      Air force and the nuclear RMA5)      RMA today and the future of warfareBlock 2 Managing technological progress6)      Tyranny of the Red Queen7)      Cultural explanations of technological development8)      Stigmatisation, taboos and outlawing of weaponsBlock 3 Ethical issues9)      Ethics of technology10)  Challenges to the just war theory 1: the case of submarine warfare11)  Challenges to the just war theory 2: air force and nuclear deterrence12)  Challenges to the just war theory 3: autonomous systems Literature*Required and selected recommended reading will be provided via moodle.

Garant

Mgr. Tomáš Kučera, Ph.D.

Vyučující

Mgr. Tomáš Kučera, Ph.D.