Defence and Deterrence

Abstract

The primary purpose of weapons is to harm: this is what weapons do, this is what they are designed to do, and the more effectively and efficiently they harm, the better they are as weapons. Weapons are exceptional in this regard, for no other artefacts are intentionally produced to do something that all of us agree is bad. If this is so, then there must be compelling reasons why weapons are made, why people design them and manufacture them. If weapons harm us, why have them? And there is only one plausible answer: we must have weapons to prevent harm.