Considering that technology reached a stage where mass killing became a lot easier, it still doesn't say much.
Imagine the crusaders having access to WMD, explosives, machine guns, etc.
Don't you think they'ld be killing more people instead of with sticks and stones?
You obviously didn't understand what I was saying before. If people in those times had that level of tech they wouldn't have the same sort of thinking. Just having that level of tech which can kill so many also has a greater responsible thinking because they realize how dangerous they are. Your trying to link their lack of awareness for that because they only had sticks and stones with a much greater power for which also comes a greater awareness of that power.
The only reason we have the WMD is because we have gone through all the phases of having the sticks and the smaller weapons. So we have slowly built up to those big weapons. But with that slow progress we have also developed our knowledge of what they can do and are very careful. So we dont use them indiscriminately. But your trying to give the people 100s of years ago this great advancement before their time. The two would never be seen together so its an unreal comparison.If you give them the weapons then you also have to give them the type of awareness that is earnt with those weapons which is one of consideration and caution.
Besides the crusades were not out of control anyway. They were still measured and they were believing that what they were doing was right. They would not have used WMD just like they dont today when the US is fighting Terror. You need to remember that the majority of people back then were believers and the majority felt that the crusades were good. Using WMD back then without any measured control would have blown everyone up including themselves. Anyone who would have access to such power would have thought very carefully about using them. I think you are trying to draw a long bow here.
Every war is started by someone and fought for some reason.
Of course it takes two. But saying that war is good because we have to fight them to stick up for ourselves doesn't justify them. It seems you are trying to make excuses for war.
Hmmm. People weren't "less intelligent" back then. They just didn't have that level of knowledge about natural phenomena.
Having that knowledge wouldn't change anything about their ideological beliefs. We have enough examples today in the middle east where 21st century science doesn't stop one from being a fundamentalist religious barbarian.
Ok call it knowledge. If the people had developed WMD then they would have also accumulated years of knowledge about how dangerous WMDs are as well. You can have a WMD unless you first develop the smaller weapons and get to understand their impact and what they can do. Then its a progression of time, experience and knowledge that is built before you can have these powerful weapons. So the type of knowledge and thinking that goes with any WMD is also one of knowledge about how dangerous they are and their capabilities. That is why we are careful not to use them unless they are in the hands of mad men. Then we will act to stop them like in Iraqi.
So the level of knowledge back then would not go with that level of knowledge. Your trying to inject 21st century tech into 15th century thought and knowledge and the two dont go together. There is good reason why they dont because they were not ready for that type of stuff. But like I said the crusades were controlled. They were more or less the UN of that time. Everyone who was on the side of good supported the crusades. They were stopping what they seen as invaders taking Jerusalem from the occupying people there. A bit like the US and the coalition of the willing were stopping Iraqi from taking Kuwait and bombing Jerusalem.
First and foremost, we have the assurance of mutual destruction...
But that's not the point.
The point is that today's society is a lot better then anything that preceeded it.
The further you go back in time, the less solidarity and compassion you will find and the more barbarism and intolerance you will find.
No that is how you view it from your 21st century morality. Back then they believed it was good and right. You cant put yourself in their shoes. If they didn't have the knowledge to understand why something was wrong and they believed it was OK then how is that bad. You only make it bad with the benefit of centuries of wisdom and knowledge. Its also a different time then So the context is completely different. What may have been wrong in your eyes now may have been a threat and something that needed to be dealt with back then. Hindsight is always 20/20 vision.
You completely missed my point it seems.
No I think you are being unreal. Your trying to inject 21st century thinking, tech, knowledge and everything else into a time that would never have had that sort of thing. You cant use one aspect of today and then try to match it with a time that was completely different in every context. It would be the same as trying to bring people from that time into today. They would understand things and would never have been in a position to be in control of those sort of things. The two just dont go together and never will no matter what sort of imaginary scenario you are trying to create.
They had to go out into a battle field and fight face to face. So they had to get up close and personal. They had to use more force and put their bodies on the line so they had to be more brutal in their thinking and actions to kill someone. But that was only because that is the way it was back then. Today we can push a button from a distance. But we also have a lot of protocols to go through before we can get to that point. If they had the same power they would also have to go through the same protocols.
