The Social Dimension of Technology: The Control of Chemical and Biological Weapons
<p>This paper deals with a number of conceptual issues that arise from attempts by governments and civil society to control the spread of chemical and biological weapons. The first part outlines key aspects of the international control of chemical and biological weapons, focusing on the main t...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Universidad de Salamanca
2020-04-01
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| Series: | Artefactos |
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| Online Access: | https://revistas.usal.es/index.php/artefactos/article/view/22906 |
| _version_ | 1819177955963699200 |
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| author | Brian BALMER |
| author_facet | Brian BALMER |
| author_sort | Brian BALMER |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>This paper deals with a number of conceptual issues that arise from attempts by governments and civil society to control the spread of chemical and biological weapons. The first part outlines key aspects of the international control of chemical and biological weapons, focusing on the main treaties that outlaw these weapons. It then highlights some of the key practical and conceptual dilemmas in implementing these controls. These are the problems of definition, ‘dual-use’, how distinguishing defensive from offensive research, verification, and difficulty of analyzing chemical and biological warfare from a cultural perspective. Also this second part contains a discussion of some of the author’s own research on the history of chemical and biological warfare, and adds some reflections on how this work might inform some of the contemporary practical issues in the control of chemical and biological warfare.</p><p>The most obvious contribution that philosophers can (and do) make to the control of chemical and biological weapons is in the field of ethics; the author argues that other debates from philosophy of science, over terms such as tacit knowledge, ontology, underdetermination and feminist philosophy of science, have the potential to shed further light on the dilemmas facing the arms control community.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T21:34:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1d71472a54d3477498b22524056f0ebc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1989-3612 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T21:34:53Z |
| publishDate | 2020-04-01 |
| publisher | Universidad de Salamanca |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Artefactos |
| spelling | doaj.art-1d71472a54d3477498b22524056f0ebc2022-12-21T18:11:47ZengUniversidad de SalamancaArtefactos1989-36122020-04-0191617610.14201/art202091617618519The Social Dimension of Technology: The Control of Chemical and Biological WeaponsBrian BALMER0University College London<p>This paper deals with a number of conceptual issues that arise from attempts by governments and civil society to control the spread of chemical and biological weapons. The first part outlines key aspects of the international control of chemical and biological weapons, focusing on the main treaties that outlaw these weapons. It then highlights some of the key practical and conceptual dilemmas in implementing these controls. These are the problems of definition, ‘dual-use’, how distinguishing defensive from offensive research, verification, and difficulty of analyzing chemical and biological warfare from a cultural perspective. Also this second part contains a discussion of some of the author’s own research on the history of chemical and biological warfare, and adds some reflections on how this work might inform some of the contemporary practical issues in the control of chemical and biological warfare.</p><p>The most obvious contribution that philosophers can (and do) make to the control of chemical and biological weapons is in the field of ethics; the author argues that other debates from philosophy of science, over terms such as tacit knowledge, ontology, underdetermination and feminist philosophy of science, have the potential to shed further light on the dilemmas facing the arms control community.</p>https://revistas.usal.es/index.php/artefactos/article/view/22906conceptosdiseminaciónguerradesarmeéticacomunidad |
| spellingShingle | Brian BALMER The Social Dimension of Technology: The Control of Chemical and Biological Weapons Artefactos conceptos diseminación guerra desarme ética comunidad |
| title | The Social Dimension of Technology: The Control of Chemical and Biological Weapons |
| title_full | The Social Dimension of Technology: The Control of Chemical and Biological Weapons |
| title_fullStr | The Social Dimension of Technology: The Control of Chemical and Biological Weapons |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Social Dimension of Technology: The Control of Chemical and Biological Weapons |
| title_short | The Social Dimension of Technology: The Control of Chemical and Biological Weapons |
| title_sort | social dimension of technology the control of chemical and biological weapons |
| topic | conceptos diseminación guerra desarme ética comunidad |
| url | https://revistas.usal.es/index.php/artefactos/article/view/22906 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT brianbalmer thesocialdimensionoftechnologythecontrolofchemicalandbiologicalweapons AT brianbalmer socialdimensionoftechnologythecontrolofchemicalandbiologicalweapons |