Lecture 14: Technoscience and Warfare from Planet Dora to the Moon Flashcards
Why does this lecture mention “Planet Dora”?
It was a concentration camp that supplied labour for factories which built rockets
What flight model entered WWI?
The Model B entered into WWI into 1915 to 1918
Why Germany?
They were the first to use technoscience
What is technoscience?
‘big science’ of science, technology, government, universities, and private companies
What was the reason that Germany was superior and why they pushed technology forward so rapidly?
They were the first to come up with technoscience and used it as an approach to technological and scientific problems
What would happen if technoscience is at work for 5 years?
It granted civilizations such as America, Soviet Union, and Britain to get everything they need after the war. However, America and Soviet Union would use these technologies to a higher extent than Britain
List a few things that changed the world which came from Germany.
- Atomic Energy: The Germans would split the atom to create an atomic bomb. For instance, the Manhattan Project
- Modern Computers: Z3 has a memory of 60 words (1943) and Z4 was the first commercial use (1944)
- Television: not invented by Nazi Germany but would use it for boardcasting
- Radio controlled devices
- Magnetophon K1 (1935): Used to record voices very precisely without distortion, and store information to magnetic tapes
- First Guided missiles VI: relatively primitive compare to the radio controlled devices. It was powered by a jet engine, a pulse jet engine. Super cheap to produce but need to be ejected
What influence the world from Germany?
It was their modern design/style, such as the Volkswagen Beetle from 1930s Germany
What is the fundamental shift in what technology and science should be?
The fundamental shift (Ipsa scientia potestas est) went from technology to technoscience
What is technology?
Coping with the environment/ solve problems
What is technoscience?
Destroy/control but after the war, it was about making money
Who is Fritz Haber (1868 - 1934)?
Nicknamed as “Dr. Death”, he was a Jewish and German chemist and noble prize winner
Is Fritz Haber the “father” of technoscience?
He didn’t invent it but was the first to see technoscience as an application to a large scale by establishing the first institue
What was the original purpose of technoscience?
It was to harm or to kill in large quantities, such as Fritz Haber’s poisonous gas
What was the side effect from the Zyklon research?
It led to the use in concentration camps under the name Zyklon B
What is the name of the first institute of technoscience?
Kaiser Wilhelm
What is the notion of Capitalism?
The strong (upper class) would always be the rulers to the lower class. The Germans would use this to a great extent
What is Social Darwinism?
Biological theory to social/racial theory (weak is to be eliminated)
What is Eugenics?
Human race can be improved by eliminating weak/unwanted. The result of this movement led to the concentration camps
How are the “weak/unwanted” determined by?
Craniometry and IQ test. Where Craniometry would determine the size of the skull
What was German’s approach to warfare?
Instead of fighting armies, it was about murdering and killing civilian population
Where did the German’s get this idea?
From the British, the concept was introduced by Trenchard’s Doctrine
What was Trenchard’s doctrine based on?
The idea of capitalism, as it was cheaper and efficient to attack the unarmed civilians to force the government to surrender
What factor were the Germans using?
They used this concept to target those that are part of the “Aryan” race as propaganda
What was unique about the German’s approach to warfare?
They used the application of scientific theory and technology to mass murder
How would the Germans determine who would be exterminated?
They believe that Jews, Poles, Slavs, homosexuals, mentally ill, disabled, and those that refuse the Nazi doctrine are to be exterminated
What was the estimated number of civilian population exterminated?
roughly 30% of civilian population were exterminated
Why were concentration camps not unique according to Dr. Lech?
500 to 900 concentration camps were set up throughout Europe and Germany. Most of the concentration camps were not the same as some work camps
What was unique about the concentration camps in Poland?
They were set up almost exclusively as extermination camps
Why would the Germans kill the women and children?
Women would continue to reproduce children and the children would grow up and form armies
What else did concentration camps were used for?
Coming directly from capitalism and industralization, the concentration camp would be used as a factory for human disassembly to produce soaps, brushes, and furnishes
What happen to the surviving Nazi war criminals?
They would be protected and live a good life in exchange for Nazi technologies
Why were tanks important to this lecture?
Hitler was obsessed with tanks and partial reasons as to why the Germans were defeated
What did Hitler believed in terms of the tank?
He believed that winning the war means having bigger and better tanks
What is the famous tank in WWII?
The Tiger I
Why were the American troops terrified of the Tiger I?
It could destroy a Sherman tank from 1 km and has impenetrable armour
What was the downfall of the Tiger I?
The Tiger I was over engineered to the point that it was too heavy and would consume a lot of fuel