Quote Originally Posted by vnx205 View Post
I realise that drones work differently from machine guns, but I m still reminded of the fact that Dr Richard Gatling believed that his invention would save lives.

It didn't quite turn out that way..

BBC iWonder - Did the machine-gun save lives in WW1?

When, in 1861, Dr Richard Gatling patented the Gatling gun ? one of the first reliable hand-cranked machine-guns ? his humanitarian vision was based on a desire to end wars. He believed that his invention would instantly convey to the military a reason not to go to war in the first place, or at least reduce the number of men who would be placed in harm's way.
This is a good point about recurring, often misguided or naive theme of 'saving lives' through improvements in violence and killing technology.