The historical evolution path that led to the development of computers had a strong bearing in determining and explaining the strategy that America employed in its military during the period of cold war and largely serves as mythological representation of our perceptions of the future. The mainframe computers are icons that brought America into what we know of it today (super-power).Edwards in his book, ‘The closed World’, tries to develop an argument that computers played an important practical role in the cold war defense and also served to provide support, technological in nature, in the different discourses that were key to political life and cold war intellectual, (Edwards,4).The discourse of closed world represents the language, practices and technology that in combination served to support the targets that were centrally controlled and which greatly were at the centre of the politics of cold war in America (Edwards, 14) .computers were important supports in closed world because they facilitated the practical planning and construction of key military systems of control on an enormous scale. The development of computers further facilitated the metaphoric evident in the current understanding of world politics as a system greatly attributed to technological development. The computer experiences such as connection with other persons, fictions of robots and kybosh and technological machines common in science and other cultures including metaphors such as comparison of computers with human brain are viewed to have originated along the devopment of computing.
In absence of computers fictions of containment and global control would actually been blatantly ridiculous.(Edwards,21)
The very early computers are said to have been constructed by big programs that were centrally controlled by the government that lasted up to and during the time of cold war II.In the 1950’s development of most computers by civilian companies mainly were under subsidy by the federal government of the U.S, with oversight of the military from their budgets bearing in mind that they had a focus for military uses. The key companies that were tasked in computer equipment development obtained about 59% of funds from the government in the period1949 to 1959(Edwards,61).Sadly, this funding served little role because in the applications of military analog computers proved to be fast, more effective and cheaper number of people within and without the military advanced arguments that national security had no option other than coinciding with the process of development of computers(Edwards,70).at the time when the Soviets detonated the first atomic bomb during the year 1949,shortly ahead of the predictions of the U.S,the was emphasis on defense through the uncertain political climate that prevailed.SAGE,the very first network of computer connected along U.S, radar data which is seen as an effort that was directed towards building a tight barrier that was meant to surround the country and make it impenetratable(Edwards,99).The complete system was online by 1961.in terms of technology this system can be argued as useless against the Soviet attack but still that argument may not genuinely be validated because it later becomes evident that the system was mainly developed to create an impression of impermeability.Edwards,argues in a different line, indicating that concerns rarely hurt SAGE, since its vital role was mainly to enhance closed-discourse.the system was more than a system of weapons, can also be viewed as a myth, defense metaphor and actually a closed-world technology.defence was automated in the air, and comprised of defined outputs and inputs. The world situation was theoretically decreased to easily managed data.
The closed-world can be viewed from two perspectives.firstly,it may be thought of making reference to a contained system in which outputs and inputs are vividly defined purposefully for command, control with inflexible boundaries that can be viewed in terms of outside and inside, and which converge in the computer construct.
Secondly, the closed-world is important in making conversion of situations, analog in nature, into representations of digital nature, and through defined programming logics that is considered to link inputs to specific outcomes. From the perspective of SAGE, this builds a border ideological in nature very strong barrier that in physical sense is non-existent but can only be represented through the computer that supports the discursive image of “free world,”(Edwards,86)
The simulation of computer progressively gained gigantic traction in the government of U.S, and gradually emerged as as a real driver of technology-oriented change. Thereafter, analysis of systems and centralized mechanisms of control were fully developed, through military branches links and the coordination fully facilitated by computers far away from the battleground. The cold war brought forth several situations all that served to integrate men with complicated systems mainly of electro-mechanic in nature. The research activities evident in modern psychology and other fields that emerged out of the war reflected concerns and disputes of military. The military actually can be given responsibility of development of several important innovations for computing during the period of cold war and military funds were equally vital to the evolution of the mainframe computers.
Further, Edwards, assembles the idea of discourse mainly as “self elaborating and heterogeneous assembly,” that integrates technology, language and metaphor of others around support sets. It generates both knowledge and power.
In conclusion, the developments during the closed cold war were reflections of the future world and system of politics that surround our present society. Just as technology was important during the cold war, so it is today and in the future more technologies are expected to shape our lives. The development of computer innovations and computing programs cannot be merely viewed as having served only the military operations but can be largely viewed as a traditional mythological representations of political purpose that mirrored our perception of the future.
Works cited:
Paul, Edwards. Computers and the Politics of Discourse In Cold War America. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1996.Print.
Paul, Edwards. Computers and the Politics of Discourse In Cold War America. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1996.Print.
Paul, Edwards. Computers and the Politics of Discourse In Cold War America. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1996.Print.
