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As
Gerfried Stocker has pointed on in his initial statement on current
Ars Electronica's Net Symposium we will
"find
ourselves confronted by a lofty domain in which authoritative experts
are few and far between-a fact which, in light of the lasting consequences
of the social and political decisions looming on the horizon, will
also become a touchstone of the democratic political process. Between
the arrogance of businessmen and the ignorance of politicians, the
human being remains alone to face this dilemma-enticed by the hopes
of healing all illnesses and deeply troubled by the fears of a biological
Armageddon (legitimate fears in the wake of Bhopal, Chernobyl, BSE
...)."
I
want to add: Don't forget the military. The history of biological
warfare is even as old, as --- what would you guess? The first 'arms
control agreement' I found, concering the use of organic substances
to harm an enemy dates back to ancient Indian times, approximately
more that 2000 years before the nuclear weapons of mass destruction
have been invented and might cause a so-called Y2K-bug. The 'Manu
Smirti' is the first known source of the dangers of biological warfare
The
Manu Smrti Chapter VII, 'The King', Verses 87-98, of the Manu Smrti
laid down the ruler's conduct in battle. Verse 90 in particular
exhorted a king:
90.
When he fights with his foes in battle, let him not strike with
weapons concealed (in wood), nor with (such as are) barbed, poisoned,
or the points of which are blazing with fire. Chapter VII also contains
detailed instructions to prevent his being poisoned:
217.
There he may eat food, (which has been prepared) by faithful, incorruptible
(servants) who know the (proper) time (for dining), which has been
well examined (and hallowed) by sacred texts that destroy poison.
218. Let him mix all his food with medicines (that are) antidotes
against poison, and let him always be careful to wear gems which
destroy poison.
219.
Well-tried females whose toilet and ornaments have been examined,
shall attentively serve him with fans, water, and perfumes.
220.
In like manner let him be careful about his carriages, bed, seat,
bath, toilet, and all his ornaments.
Source:
Bühler, G. (trans.), The Laws of Manu (Oxford University Press:
Oxford, 1886), reprinted under UNESCO sponsorship as The Sacred
Books of the East, vol. 25 (Motilal Banarsidass: Delhi, 1975), pp.
230, 251-52.
Comment
(by Jean Pascal Zanders)
Indian
literature contained the earliest accounts of CW-related forms of
warfare. The Indian culture has also formulated the oldest known
ethical and normative constraints against the practices. The three
Niti-shastras and the Manu Smrti --the latter a Sanskrit treatise
laying the foundation of Hindu law- date from about the beginning
of the Christian era, but most likely drew their information from
literature in the third and fourth millennium BC. The source of
this constraint is unknown, its existence was merely recorded. The
time span between some of the documentary sources of chemical warfare
in ancient India and the Sanskrit treatise is in the order of two
to three millennia. The Manu Smrti were a code of conduct adopted
by Aryan tribes, who first settled and later gradually expanded
their dominance in the Indian subcontinent. For want of other contemporary
documentary sources, the Manu Smrti has to be considered as a unilateral
declaration.
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