The idea of using the human mind against people via science, or to use their minds as weapons, has captivated and frightened me for quite some time. How can a human being be made to do something for which they have no control?
I believe that the use of science as a weapon is putting innocent lives in danger. This is especially worrisome when one thinks about how we let our weapons get out of control without any regard for the collateral civilian damage. Just because it does not physically hurt you does not mean you are in no way impacted by these scienc-weapons: there are mental effects that occur when your senses experience things like prolonged exposure to loud sounds that cause your brain to function differently than how it used to. The military, who needs to have an edge over the enemy, is looking for ways to use science to their advantage. This is great—but I believe it needs to be used in a way that keeps the civilian out of harm’s way.
We may think that it doesn’t harm us because we aren’t physically harmed but nothing could be further from the truth: when you are exposed to loud noises, your brain changes, and this makes you entirely different than who you were before the exposure took place. In fact, a study found that those exposed to loud noises for prolonged periods of time had brain damage as serious as someone with a traumatic brain injury (TBI). The physical effects of a TBI include seizures, damage to the brain stem and other regions and severe headaches among other things. While this is an extreme case, it makes us start to wonder if the military should be studying these effects on humans in hopes that they can use them on the enemy.
The military is making use of science in many different ways such as using your mind against you (a tool they call psychic attack) where they attempt to manipulate you into thinking something that isn’t true in order to make you do things like drop your weapon or give up information. This manipulation is also used to confuse you and let them get you in a poor position for interrogation methods such as forcing you to sit in the same position for hours on end. This is terrifying, and if there are ever the thought of scientists being called upon to do this, then it should be a very big concern.
It is no surprise that science is being used on soldiers because they need something special- they have guns, but they are trained and have specific skills with which they can kill people that help give them an edge. The military gives their soldiers training in how to use them so that they can be effective and not hurt the lives of civilians trying to keep the peace. It is a delicate process, but I believe that it is worth the potential risk.
There are too many lives involved in research and development to risk them in any way. This means that we have to work with care and sift through what works and what doesn’t so when it comes time to use science as a weapon, civilians aren’t put in harm’s way. The mind and the body are not just a tool to be used; they are windows into who we really are and if you mess around with them then you have no idea where it is going to lead you.
There is no such thing as a safe research study when it comes to the physical and mental effects of people. The best you can hope for is that no lasting effects happen and that the science is only being used to help those around us.