"Evolution of Weaponry"

By Lt. Col. Dave Grossman
Academic Press, 2000

Humans have proven themselves to be infinitely ingenious at creating and using devices to overcome their limitations. From one perspective human history can be seen as a series of ever-more-efficient devices to help humans communicate, travel, trade, work, and even to think. Similarly, the history of violence, peace, and conflict can be seen as the history, or the evolution, of a series of ever-more-efficient devices to enable humans to kill and dominate their fellow human beings.

The concept of an "evolution" of weaponry is very appropriate, since the battlefield is the ultimate realm of Darwinian natural selection. With few exceptions, any weapon or system that survives for any length of time does so because of its utility. Nothing survives for long on the battlefield simply because of superstition. Anything that is effective is copied and perpetuated, anything ineffective results in death, defeat, and extinction. There are fads and remnants (the military equivalent of the appendix), but over the long run, everything happens for a reason, and a valid theory of weapons evolution must make these reasons clear, explaining all extinctions and all survivals.

Weapons as Devices to Overcome Physical and Psychological Limitations

• Overcoming Physical Limitations
• Psychological Enabling Factors

A Brief Survey of Weapons Evolution

• The Chariot
• The Phalanx
• The Roman System
• The Mounted Knight
• The Age of Projectile Weapons
• Enabling the Mind to Kill

The Role of Weapons Evolution in Domestic Violent Crime

• Weapons Lethality
• Advances in Weapons Effectiveness
• Advances in Medical Effectiveness
• Increases in Worldwide Violent Crime
• Military Conditioning as Entertainment for Children
• Acquired Violence Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AVIDS)

Conclusion: The Future of Weapons Evolution

ARTICLE CONTINUES  . . .

Jump to any section of this article: Select an article section Overcoming Physical Limitations Psychological Enabling Factors Psych Enabling Factors--Page 2 Psych Enabling Factors--Page 3 Enabling the Mind to Kill The Chariot The Phalanx The Roman System The Mounted Knight The Age of Projectile Weapons Weapons Lethality Advances in Medical Effectiveness Increases in Worldwide Violent Crime Military Conditioning as Entertainment Acquired Violence Immune Deficiency Syndrome Conclusion: The Future of Weapons Effectiveness Glossary of Terms

Read a different article: Islamic Zealots, Corporate Predators, and the Attack on Democracy: A Moral Perspective On Our Current State of Affairs Teaching Kids To Kill Behavioral Psychology Psychological Effects of Combat Aggression & Violence Critical Incident Amnesia The Morality of Bombing On Killing II: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill Trained to Kill

© 1999 by Academic Press. All rights of reproduction in any form reserved.