Stealth Bomber – Democratic Technology?

Dr. Fisher brought up a very good point on how some democratic technologies have to be sacrificed undemocratically in some ways for the greater good.  This sounds somewhat hypocritical, but it makes sense.  I did not agree with this at first, but when I pondered it a little bit longer I understood why.  There are some things in this world that are necessary to keep under lock and key and hidden from the general public.  The stealth bomber was one of them.

If this technology was released publicly at the time of it’s creation in 1979, it would have caused a great deal of problems and risks.  First of all, Russia would have been trying to get their hands on it any way they could.  Russia could have made a pre-emptive strike, thinking that the United States was doing something to deceive them.  The main risk I believe to be the most important would have been the enormous costs (around 45 billion) that the American people would have been subjected to.  I feel like if they were to release the figure that they were predicting for the project, the American people would have shot it down in an instant. This is the obvious thing that would need to be kept secret undemocratically.  It had the circumstances of the time period it was in and the classified nature in and of itself.   

Can anyone think of any other technologies, objects, or even government policies that are supposedly democratic, although they have to be implemented or used undemocraticly for the greater good? 

4 thoughts on “Stealth Bomber – Democratic Technology?

  1. DAVID CHRISTOPHER HRINAK

    I do believe that our unwillingness to pay such a price reflects that the technology is not really necessary in our minds as Americans. Say the United States government released the estimated costs of the project, which includes the designing and producing of 20 aircrafts. They obviously would not release any of the details regarding what it is capable of or how it works, so why would the average American be okay with spending 45 billion dollars on something they know nothing about? I am assuming that the government would not release any details on what it is for or how it was going to be used just because of the classified nature.

    Those considerations should play no role, due to the fact that this is a type of technology that needs to be kept secret undemocratically for the greater good. Keeping this project under wraps and out of the public limelight was the goal of this, supposedly to protect America and to have the upper hand on the Soviet Union during the Cold War. We elect these officials to run our country and protect us, so I believe that we have to trust them to do the right thing. In all reality, the American people can’t have a say in every little thing that goes on these days, due to the fact that there are so many threats and problems we as the United States have to deal with.

  2. Mark Fisher

    Thanks David and Nassir for sharing your thoughts. I am interested in your claim about the price, David. Would our unwillingness to pay such a price reflect our belief that the technology was not actually necessary? What role should considerations like that play in making decisions about how best to protect our democracy?

  3. DAVID CHRISTOPHER HRINAK

    That is a great example of a technology that is undemocractic in ways to improve the greater good. It is true that it somewhat violates a person’s privacy, although I do agree that eventually people will understand that it is very much necessary for precautionary methods.

  4. NASSIR ABDULLAH ABALKHAIL

    I think new screening technologies introduced and used nowadays in airports all around the world brought a lot of controversy. By screening technologies I do not mean the devices used to screen luggage or metal detectors used to inspect people. I meant the full body scanners. A lot of people claimed their concern about their own privacy and how the person operating this scanner have a full view of their bodies, but eventually I believe those people will realize how this is important when noticing that airplanes hijacking or bombing is becoming an impossible thing to do within the existence of such advanced technology.

    and here is a video that might show my point even more clearer.



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