Costly advanced weapons deter rivals just like large animal weapons

Evidence

Modern conventional weapons appear to behave just like animal weapons. State-of-the-art supersonic, supermaneuverable fighters, brand-new Gerald R. Ford–class supercarriers (due to arrive in 2015), and unprecedented satellite surveillance systems and intelligence-gathering supercomputers all cost a fortune to design, build, and maintain. These are weapons technologies only the richest states can afford, and they confer a pronounced advantage in battle. As with the largest, most expensive animal weapons, our conventional forces no doubt deter rival states from initiating unrestricted war against us. — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 592

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to earlier chapters establishing that very large, expensive animal weapons function as deterrence signals — connects to: Weapons primarily deter rivals rather than inflict harm in actual fights; Weapons innovations trigger arms races in ships just as in animals — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 962; Only a minority of males can afford to build full-size weapons — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 326 (+10 more)

Related

• Weapons primarily deter rivals rather than inflict harm in actual fights (similarity 0.93)
• The most expensive weapons serve as deterrents by projecting power globally. (similarity 0.90)
• Weapon evolution and deterrence form a self-accelerating spiral. (similarity 0.86)
• Deterrence amplifies the evolutionary payoff of extreme weapon size. (similarity 0.85)
• Low-cost bioweapons manufacture destroys the logic of deterrence (similarity 0.85)
• Weapons evolve only when reproductive benefits exceed costs (similarity 0.84)
• Weapons work primarily as deterrents that prevent fights rather than win them (similarity 0.84)
• Weapon growth widens the gap between the best- and worst-armed males. (similarity 0.84)
• Weapon expense is what keeps signals of fighting ability honest (similarity 0.83)
• Weapon escalation ends when costs outweigh benefits and cheaters invade (similarity 0.83)
• Military size honestly signals a state’s fighting strength just as animal weapons do (similarity 0.83)
• Dueling plus competition and defensibility is the general rule for extreme weapons (similarity 0.82)
• Cold War weapons costs multiplied simultaneously across every system category (similarity 0.82)
• Human WMDs exceed any animal weapon in destructive capacity (similarity 0.82)
• Specific ecological circumstances must align before weapon arms races begin (similarity 0.82)

Broader Connections

• Weapons work primarily as deterrents that prevent fights rather than win them #corroborates (0.80) — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 966