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Old 07-23-2003, 02:34 AM   #22 (permalink)
Pacifier
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Location: Duisburg, Germany
Quote:
Originally posted by Dragonlich
duckznutz, you're wrong about soldiers. Sure, in some countries (former USSR, North-Korea, China, other totalitarian countries) soldiers are seen as cannon fodder, to do as their officers tell them to. In the West, however, this is clearly not the case. Here, they're not turned into robots at all.
But they are supposed to follow the orders without questiong, robot is a bit harsh, but comes close. If soldiers starting to argue if their mission/ the order is correct they are worthless.

Quote:
Originally posted by Dragonlich
They're supposed to THINK during combat
Hell no, not during combat. Combat runs on reflexes, on instinct. If the soldier starts thinking during combat he might not shoot at the enemy.
I old times the percentage of soldiers who actually shot at the enemy was pretty low, even in WW2. In the amercian civil war they found rifels that were loaded multiple times withput beeing shot.
With modern training this percentage was increased. They trained the soldiers to shoot automatically without thinking first. see enemy -> shoot, no questions.

Quote:
Originally posted by Dragonlich
As far as I know, in the US, blind obedience is not compatible with the requirement that soldiers have to uphold the Geneva convention, for example; even if ordered to go against those rules, they're supposed to say no.
this is a part of every soldiers law, even in the rules for the wehrmacht is was illeagal to shot civilians...
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"It seems to me that the idea of a personal God is an anthropological concept which I cannot take seriously. I also cannot imagine some will or goal outside the human sphere. Science has been charged with undermining morality, but the charge is unjust. A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death
— Albert Einstein
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