Human WMDs exceed any animal weapon in destructive capacity

Evidence

Where does this leave us? For fourteen chapters I’ve argued that our weapons and animal weapons are similar. But this is true only up to a point. The deadliest weapons of today have no precedent—never before has an animal wielded the capacity to destroy life on such a planetary scale, and never have there been weapons so dangerous they can never be used. — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 609

Categorization

• XREF: The explicit moment the animal-warfare analogy reaches its limit — key to the whole book’s thesis. — connects to: Cold War arsenals grew to planetary overkill capacity — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 569; Modern nuclear and biological weapons are destructively unprecedented in history — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 596; The evolutionary drivers of animal weapons also explain human weapon elaboration. — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 7

Related

• Modern nuclear and biological weapons are destructively unprecedented in history (similarity 0.92)
• Comparisons of animal and human weapons have a long scholarly tradition. (similarity 0.87)
• Cold War arsenals grew to planetary overkill capacity (similarity 0.86)
• The evolutionary drivers of animal weapons also explain human weapon elaboration. (similarity 0.86)
• Human and animal arms races follow parallel evolutionary dynamics (similarity 0.84)
• Identical circumstances trigger and collapse arms races in animals and humans. (similarity 0.84)
• Animal weapons evolved to extremes far beyond practical size (similarity 0.84)
• Low-cost bioweapons manufacture destroys the logic of deterrence (similarity 0.84)
• Weapon evolution is judged by competition among designs, not human survival (similarity 0.84)
• Weapon growth widens the gap between the best- and worst-armed males. (similarity 0.83)
• Weapons evolve only when reproductive benefits exceed costs (similarity 0.82)
• Dueling plus competition and defensibility is the general rule for extreme weapons (similarity 0.82)
• Animal weapons can evolve rapidly within just seven generations (similarity 0.82)
• Costly advanced weapons deter rivals just like large animal weapons (similarity 0.82)
• Specific ecological circumstances must align before weapon arms races begin (similarity 0.82)

Broader Connections

• The evolutionary drivers of animal weapons also explain human weapon elaboration. #expands (0.50) — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 7