Revengeful War

"Why Things Bite Back" by Edward Tenner. The parts I read were about revenge or "biting back." Tenner talks about a solution to one problems could cause a worse problem later on down the road, thus being revenge. I think Nye chose this book as a reference because it is somewhat written how Nye wrote his book. Tenner didn't formulate questions as the chapter title, but there were constantly questions throughout the chapter letting the reader make their own opinions and decision on what was being said. In the chapter I read he talked about how solutions can cause even greater problems, Nye also talked about that. A solution to one thing may cause a bigger problem. Problem: need more space to build vacation houses. solution: build them on the beach just feet away from the ocean, great tourist attraction, bigger problem: hurricane comes ruins the houses, causing more damage now than if they had never built houses there.

I think Nye chose this resource wisely, I can definitely see how it relates to "Technology Matters."  I also think Nye does a good job quoting accurately. He does so in a way that we know what he is talking about, providing more examples and explains things where needed.

In "War and Public Health" written by Levy Sidel I read the chapter called War, Children, and the Responsibility of the International Community. In this chapter Sidel mainly focuses on how war affects children. How they lose father, mothers, family, and friends in general. "Someone once said that the trouble with modern war is that it does not kill the right people. I am not certain who the right people might be, but there is no question that children are the wrong people" (12). How old does someone have to be to be considered a child? In "Cat's Cradle" Vonnegut talks about children going off to fight wars, are they really considered children even though they are old enough to fight in the war?

I wish Nye would have added some of that into his book. He talks about the effects of war, but as far as I could tell he doesn't talk how it affects children. It would have brought even one more layer to his book. Not only how war affects the people fighting the wars, the soldiers, but also the children. I think Nye chose this book because of the fact that he does specifically talk about the effects of war. War doesn't effect a small group of people rather many countries. This book helps him make his point about how war can be just as dangerous as it can be beneficial. Again I think he quotes this book accurately, I guess I just wish Nye would have added a little more about the children aspect to show the whole spectrum of the destruction it causes. 

I think if you put these two sources together, it poses a good question. Is war just a revengeful act? Is it causing just a bigger problem, or is it actually a solution to a problem? Is it worth the hurt it causes?