--- title: "It's tempting to wonder how many of the inventions of the past centur… — John Mortimer Quote #12 | QuotesBy.net" description: "It's tempting to wonder how many of the inventions of the past century we might have been better off without. Take the aeroplane for instance. It has… — a quote by John Mortimer." image: "https://quotesby.net/wp-content/themes/quotesby-editorial/assets/og-default.png" --- > # It's tempting to wonder how many of the inventions of the past century we might have been better off without. Take the aeroplane for instance. It has transformed warfare from an event in which trained soldiers kill each other on distant battlefields to occasions when death is rained down indiscriminately on innocent civilians, while the professional fighters fly at a great height in comparative safety. [John Mortimer](https://quotesby.net/John-Mortimer)\#12 [Ethics](https://quotesby.net/John-Mortimer/ethics/)[Technology](https://quotesby.net/topics/technology/)[Warfare](https://quotesby.net/topics/warfare/) [WhatsApp (opens in a new tab)](https://wa.me/?text=%E2%80%9CIt%27s%20tempting%20to%20wonder%20how%20many%20of%20the%20inventions%20of%20the%20past%20century%20we%20might%20have%20been%20better%20off%20without.%20Take%20the%20aeroplane%20for%20instance.%20It%20has%20transformed%20warfare%20from%20an%20event%20in%20which%20trained%20soldiers%20kill%20each%20other%20on%20distant%20battlefields%20to%20occasions%20when%20death%20is%20rained%20down%20indiscriminately%20on%20innocent%20civilians%2C%20while%20the%20professional%20fighters%20fly%20at%20a%20great%20height%20in%20comparative%20safety.%E2%80%9D%20%E2%80%94%20John%20Mortimer%20https%3A%2F%2Fquotesby.net%2FJohn-Mortimer%2F12%2F)[X (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=%E2%80%9CIt%27s%20tempting%20to%20wonder%20how%20many%20of%20the%20inventions%20of%20the%20past%20century%20we%20might%20have%20been%20better%20off%20without.%20Take%20the%20aeroplane%20for%20instance.%20It%20has%20transformed%20warfare%20from%20an%20event%20in%20which%20trained%20soldiers%20kill%20each%20other%20on%20distant%20battlefields%20to%20occasions%20when%20death%20is%20rained%20down%20indiscriminately%20on%20innocent%20civilians%2C%20while%20the%20professional%20fighters%20fly%20at%20a%20great%20height%20in%20comparative%20safety.%E2%80%9D%20%E2%80%94%20John%20Mortimer&url=https%3A%2F%2Fquotesby.net%2FJohn-Mortimer%2F12%2F)[Facebook (opens in a new tab)](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fquotesby.net%2FJohn-Mortimer%2F12%2F) ## About this quote What does it mean?Technological progress like air travel has enabled indiscriminate warfare, reducing the protection of civilians.In plain termsThe airplane made war deadlier for regular people while soldiers stay safe.What can you take from it?Technology can worsen the harm of war on civilians. ### Where it applies - military ethics - technology policy - historical analysis ### Putting it to work - evaluate tech consequences - advocate for civilian protection ### Questions to consider - Does technology solve or create new ethical problems? - How do we balance safety and security? ### Another view Aircraft also enable humanitarian aid and peacekeeping. ## More from John Mortimer 1. > In New York, crossing 58th Street from the Plaza Oyster Bar to the Wyndham Hotel, I came up against a huge black man in a long, dark overcoat who said, in deep… [Permalink to quote \#11](https://quotesby.net/John-Mortimer/11/ "Permalink to quote 11") 2. > The 'medium is the message' is one of the world's silliest remarks. The message is the message, and it doesn't matter whether you send it by e-mail, a note in … [Permalink to quote \#13](https://quotesby.net/John-Mortimer/13/ "Permalink to quote 13") 3. > Jewish custom, which traces descent solely from the mother, is more sensible and more discreet. Our own lawgivers can't accept the fact that there are many thi… [Permalink to quote \#10](https://quotesby.net/John-Mortimer/10/ "Permalink to quote 10") ## Related quotes 1. > I think these things ( firearms ) were invented by Satan himself, for they can't be defended against with (ordinary) weapons and fists. All human strength vani… [Martin Luther](https://quotesby.net/Martin-Luther)[Martin Luther quote \#11](https://quotesby.net/Martin-Luther/11/ "Permalink to quote 11") 2. > We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity. We weren't punctilious about locating and punishing only Hitler and his … [Ann Coulter](https://quotesby.net/Ann-Coulter)[Ann Coulter quote \#13](https://quotesby.net/Ann-Coulter/13/ "Permalink to quote 13") 3. > 'there was a rational prospect, ultimately fulfilled, that afflicted populations would exert pressure for the cessation of hostilities.' said in defense of sys… [Abba Eban](https://quotesby.net/Abba-Eban)[Abba Eban quote \#20](https://quotesby.net/Abba-Eban/20/ "Permalink to quote 20") ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's tempting to wonder how many of the inventions of the past century we might have been better off without. Take the aeroplane for instance. 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