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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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gisterme - 04:23pm Jan 5, 2003 EST (# 7373 of 7376)

rshow55 1/5/03 7:08am

"...There are times (most times) where things are exactly right, or exactly wrong - and answers can be clear..."

Wow, Robert. You seem to have reached a genuine watershed WRT your world view. I wholeheartedly agree that most times exact right and exact wrong can be and are known. Things go well when "right" is known and done. The problem is that sometimes even when "right" is known, it is not done and even when "wrong" is known, it is done. I'm sure you'd agree that there are hardly worse things for the human spirit than knowing what the right thing to do is and then doing nothing, or knowing that you're doing the wrong thing and not changing course.

"...Other times, clear and mutually consistent to within a sign change..."

As in "I'm a thousand miles due west of Omaha when I thought I was a thousand miles due east!"? That would be an example of some pretty poor navigaion. However, given a properly working compass, no navigator could find himself in that position if he were doing the right thing. About the only ways he'd wind up in that situation is by being neglegent in the performance of his task, say by not bothering to look at the compass, or intentionally going the wrong way.

"...Which sign? It can be a clear, important question in some ways, though not in others..."

In mathematics, it's the sign in front of a number that's important. :-) That would be the one. When a math, physics or engineering student turns in his test that silly little sign can make all the difference between success and failure. It can often be the single thing that determines whether he has done the right or wrong thing to arrive at his result. A single sign error at some point in a multi-step computation literally negates any number of correctly done steps that follow. It is extremely rare that the absolute (unsigned) value of the result will be the same after such a mistake as it would have been otherwise.

"...The argument of design, versus the argument of evolution - is an example..."

Example of what?...a sign being wrong? WRT that particular arguement though, it troubles me that folks can't seem to see a big enough picture to realize that evolution is by design. You should try applying your complexity theorum to life, Robert, to see wheter the odds are better that such an elegant process as evolution is by design or by accident. Be carful though, because that attempt could cause you a real headache. :-D

As lunarchick pointed out (from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle), "Once the impossible has been eliminated, that which remains, however unlikely, must be the truth.".

gisterme - 04:36pm Jan 5, 2003 EST (# 7374 of 7376)

bbbuck 1/5/03 12:50pm

Thanks, bbbuck.

Kalter-rauch is right about this forum being off topic, of course.

I think the forum is off topic because the arguements against ballistic missile defense, overcome by arguements in favor more than a year ago, have now also been overcome by events. That's a double-whammy that's bound to kill on-topic discussion. The sailing equivalent would be first losing your sails then being dismasted. :-)

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New York Times on the Web Forums Science Missile Defense