What kind of world we'd have today if we haven't discovered GUNPOWDER yet? No automated machine gun?

Question

What would happen then if we discover the gunpowder now?
Will we somehow start the World War?

Answer 1

We would just have found other ways of killing each other. There are other shell and bullet propellants besides gunpowder (eg cordite).

And gunpowder has also had considerable beneficial uses... such as for blasting in mines and quarries.

The discovery of a weapon or new technology doesn't START a war - weapons are invented in response to a war in order to gain an advantage (eg. the tank, guided missiles etc) or they are adapted from non-hostile inventions (the Wright Brothers' first aeroplane wasn't designed as a warplane).

People don't respond to the invention of a new weapon by saying "hey, now that we got a new toy, lets go out and start a war!". The atomic bomb ended a war and (so far) no-one has started a war with one.

Answer 2

I think the more interesting question is what effects did the invention of gunpowder have on humanity? It is more interesting because it explores what actually happened, rather than creates mostly useless speculations about an event that did not take place. These days I think we need a bit more realism in our lives rather than more ways to escape into fantasy, if we are to more effectively deal with the world's multiplying problems.

If you are intrigued by this approach you should explore a fascinating series created for public television by science historian James Burke in 1978. Each episode demonstrates how various discoveries, scientific achievements, and historical world events have linked together over the centuries to bring about particular aspects of modern technology. The popular success of the series led to two sequel series, Connections 2 in 1994, and Connections 3 in 1997. All are on video.

Just google "connections tv series" and off you go to a real treat!

Answer 3

If we would have not discovered gunpowder even in that condition there is no possibility of world war.There is always a group of wise n talented individuals who are at the apex of the administrative system.Whether they are known as king,president or prime minister.They are present from the beginning of the human civilization.

Answer 4

What the heck is an automated machine gun?

Alexander the Great had a global war going before he drank himself to death. Then there was the Roman Empire that spread from England to Northern Africa to Syria.

Man has always fought wars and always will.

Answer 5

Since your question looks for only one lesson I would limit myself to your query status. The value of humanity is falling apart too rapidly in today's world as a result of which so much of violence world wide. What we need to teach is to ask to respect social bindings and human values specially to the upcoming generation. Other positive things would follow automatically.

Answer 6

Before there was gunpowder, there were arrows and spears.

If there had been no gunpowder, every war that used it would have been greatly prolonged.

Answer 7

We'd still be disemboling each other with cold steel .
Ever hear of the Crusades , the real FIRST world wars ?

Answer 8

Yes because there will always be someone out there that pisses you off and now that you have the military advantage you will press that advantage.
That's why I don't worry about Iran and the bomb, they are not trying to get ahead they are trying to get even. if for whatever reason they toss their bomb then they will have established the location of Armageddon. God, Allah, Buddha help us all.

Answer 9

We'd still be throwing sticks and stones.

And it may come to that.

"I know not with what weapons WW III will be fought,
but WW IV will be fought with sticks and stones"

Albert Einstein

Answer 10

we'd all be better off had we never discovered it.. but if you are looking for the real culprit.. the internal combustion system which began the petrochemical age is the true devil...