cognitive dissonance

cognitive dissonance

Australia's Defence Science and Technology Organization is developing new generation weapons that are based on insect swarms - cheap, expendable robots that communicate with each other and work together as a sort of hive-mind.

That's fine, that's their job. However, this quote shows that these guys are lying to themselves about the very nature of their jobs:

"(Alex) Ryan said the project aimed to reduce the need to send troops into hazardous situations.

'That the driving force behind this, it's about saving lives,' he said."

Get that? A new weapons system that is about saving lives. Either this guy is a complete idiot or he's a liar. Oh yeah, he's a mathematician in charge of the team developing this new weapons system, so I think the "idiot" charge can be thrown out.

It's a weapons system fercryinoutloud. Yes, such a system may make it safer for an army to do things like reconnaissance, but seriously, when have the actions of any army been about saving lives?

I want to make clear that it is not the development of a new weapons system to which I object: such things are a necessary part of the operations of any armed forces. What I object to is the cognitive dissonance that leads one to state that such developments have anything to do with "saving" anybody. Such developments are undertaken for one purpose only: to improve an army's ability to kill their enemy.

Mr. Ryan, you're either deluding yourself or lying to everyone else.