❀ The Changing Sensitivity to Killing in the Modern Age ❀
In today’s world, killing and bloodshed are perceived as less horrific compared to the past. One of the key reasons for this shift is the nature of modern warfare technology, which has cultivated certain values that have dulled human sensitivity toward the act of killing.✔ Sensitivity to Killing Depends on the Weapon and Method
The severity of a murder is often perceived in relation to the means and method used, which reflect the proximity between killer and victim.◉ The more direct the method, the greater the emotional weight of the act.
◉ For example, pulling a lever to save three people at the cost of one may seem acceptable, but personally pushing someone to their death feels much harder and morally troubling.
This illustrates the moral distance created by the nature of the action.
✔ Comparison: Ancient and Modern Weapons
There’s a vast difference between killing with a sword or dagger and killing via bombs or missiles.◉ A person who can launch a missile and kill hundreds from a distance might never be able to personally lift a sword to do the same.
◉ Modern warfare detaches the killer from the victim, reducing the emotional and ethical weight of the act.
✔ Impact of Military Technology on the Human Conscience
Modern technology has made killing so mechanically easy that the burden on the killer's conscience is drastically reduced. This leads to:✔ More ruthless wars
✔ A weakened sense of humanity
✔ The Ethical Effect of Technology
Contrary to popular belief, modern military technology is not value-neutral. It dehumanizes both the user and the victim.◉ This is why the brutalities of ancient kings and generals are considered monstrous,
◉ While modern war crimes, committed through remote-controlled machines, are seen as less horrific.
This shows how technology has subtly dehumanized us as well.
✔ Hypocrisy of Modern “Humanitarian” Civilizations
So-called champions of human rights, such as Western powers, were responsible for:◉ Killing nearly 80 million Native Americans in the United States
◉ Wiping out 4 million Aboriginals in Australia and New Zealand
Yet, these acts are glossed over in history, while Muslim rulers are vilified for far lesser offenses.
This contrast proves that modern technology has escalated the lust for war while diminishing the value of human life.✔ Modern War and Human Responsibility
To say that more people died in modern wars simply because of better technology is an incomplete statement.◉ In truth, the technology itself is a product of the modern human mindset—not something that fell from the sky.
◉ It reflects the aggressive nature and moral decay of those who designed and used it.
❀ Conclusion ❀
Modern military technology has:◉ Increased the capacity to kill
◉ Decreased the emotional and moral impact of killing
◉ Replaced personal confrontation with mechanical detachment
As a result, modern man has become morally desensitized, and killing—once considered horrifying—has become a casual function of war.
