By Boiketlo Lamula
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY
Is it the leaders of the world screwing up, or your local chemist? Dr Tshiwawa, my chemistry
lecturer at UCKAR, had been referring to the recent updates about the Israeli-Palestine war as her eyes moved around the lecture room. She looked at us and said, “politicians do not know how to make bombs; you are the chemists.” On April 14, 2024, Iran flew drones and missiles over the state of Israel/Palestine, this was in response to a previous attack from Israel. The war between the Arab world and the state of Israel has been long and arduous, with much of the Western world choosing to support Israel.
However, it is not just about the politics and the military fighters, the humanitarian crisis of
innocent citizens also takes a stand. Who can take the blame and seek out their safety and
protection. Alongside the politician, there is a scientist. Besides the science of economics, finance, and politics, the natural sciences have heavily impacted recent and ancient wars, with physics, mathematics, and especially chemistry at the forefront. From the seeking of the philosopher’s stone to the establishment of modern-day chemistry, much has been learnt about the makeup of ourselves and our world through analyzing physical matter and delving more into the study of atoms, molecules and their properties and interactions. The greatest discovery and establishment of chemistry has been the periodic table of 118 elements.
The periodic table of elements showing the positions of 118 elements; this table was first
compiled by Dmitri Mendeleyev who gained prominence for it in 1869. Weapons of war have been designed from this periodic table. Although modern weaponry is more dangerous, ancient weaponry – the swords, spears and arrows made from iron, bronze and other metals were just as dangerous. Civilians could still be attacked, whether targeted or not. However, science sought out these elements not with the intention of harm, but out of pure inquisitiveness. As a result of the messy game of politics, scientists have become the king’s pons and bishops, with civilians unwillingly being caught up in the bloody game of thrones.
From a timeline of earth’s history, it is easy to see that some rulers have had a tendency of
seeking power over the good of humanity; and some rulers just do not have an empathetic
character. From antiquity, an example of such a ruler was Sennacherib King of Assyria who
showed sacrilegious behaviour in his destruction of Babylon as revenge for what had personally happened to him – the killing of his son by the people of Babylon, he started a war out of his personal anger and the lack of a pitiful heart. And even without a deep understanding of science, metal weapons were manufactured and used during such wars.
By the time of the First and Second World Wars, many of the elements on the periodic table had been discovered. The most important ones being used in gun powder and bombs were nitrogen and hydrogen. Also, rapid discoveries were being made in physics and mathematics and many compounds in chemistry were being discovered because of experimental errors. It was the growth of these three fields that resulted in the creation of several weapons. So, the work of scientists started to be used by governments, such as Albert Einstein’s discoveries.
The establishment and control of ethics in politics is difficult to control because of multiple
reasons. One of the reasons is that some rulers seek their own selfish needs and advancement, although there are others that have the interest of the citizens at heart.
Furthermore, although leaders are advised to avoid conflicts of interest, times come when extremely difficult choices must be made, such as the choice between a ceasefire to stop a humanitarian crisis, and the need to eradicate certain groups or troops which may be a threat to citizens and uphold human rights. The goals of the leader for their nation are usually for it to be one of the best, safest and most advanced in various aspects. But the good of the civilians should always be made a priority. It is here where the scientist can act more deliberatively.
As much as there is an attempt to have ethics in politics, there are ethics that also guide
scientists like chemists. One of these ethics is to also avoid conflicts of interest, which is difficult when you work for a government military and are sometimes obligated to make these weapons. This may force the scientists to compromise their value of the safety of humanity. Also, as much as perfection is sought in the experimental design of destructive materials, human error cannot always be avoided and can cause great damage. An example is the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 which caused the death of innocent civilians.
And so, although science cannot completely protect the innocent, perhaps less destructive
weapons can intentionally be created. That may be a difficult task because a lot of experimental and design aspects will have to be taken into mind. However, with a good team working together, it can possibly be done.
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