Meredith interrupted Todd: "I can understand what you mean by human greed, but what does the self-destruction of the species have to do with scientific progress?"
Todd looked at the distant snow-capped mountains and slowly said, "In the primitive era when people ate raw meat and drank blood, wars only occurred between tribes, and the weapons were only simple spears and bows and arrows. Such intense confrontations might cause some casualties, but they were still a very, very long way from destroying the world and ending the era."
"By the time of the ancient Tyro, people had mastered technologies such as navigation, military formations, horseback riding, archery, and slinging. Wars escalated further, and genocide and enslavement of kingdoms occurred frequently. A protracted war could reduce the world's population by half, but the world was still far from being destroyed."
"Later on, with the advent of gunpowder, the invention and improvement of firearms and cannons, the intensity of war increased once again. A battle that lasted only a few days could result in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people due to the introduction of heavy firepower. Human civilization might regress into darkness, but it would not be destroyed."
"But if technology continues to advance, I know that a weapon called 'nuclear bomb' will be developed. Just 80 to 100 nuclear bombs detonated on the surface of a planet, the whole process takes no more than 37 minutes, and the world can be completely destroyed, and the progress of civilization will come to an end."
"Even if human civilization can survive the threat of the nuclear age, with the continued progress of science, astronomical quantum weapons, string cosmology weapons, neural network weapons, including the silent gun you see, will all be among the causes of species extinction."
Looking down, Todd noticed that Meredith's expression could only be described as one of shock.
Realizing he had said too much, Todd quickly steered the conversation back on track: "With the progress of civilization and the development of technology, weapons will only become more powerful, faster to manufacture, and easier to use. Therefore, in future wars, any tactical miscalculation or terrorist attack could potentially lead to the extinction of an entire species."
Meredith rubbed his temples: "According to you, the extinction of our race is inevitable? After all, we can't stop the progress of science, nor can we change the flaws of human nature."
Todd hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "Actually, there is a way, but it may not be ready yet."
"What method?"
"To find a way of existence that is suitable for the development and continuation of human civilization."
Meredith repeated Todd's words, shaking her head and saying, "I don't understand that."
After a moment's thought, Todd cautiously said, "Compared to interfering with the progress of science, I think it's more feasible to find ways to improve the flaws in human nature."
"To avoid wars of extermination by reforming the flaws of human nature, I currently think of two ways: one is the indoctrination of reason, and the other is the constraint of faith."
"The so-called indoctrination of reason is to use enlightenment education to convey the element of rational thinking to all individuals within the race, so that they can consider the possible consequences of their actions when dealing with conflicts. In primitive times, when faced with conflicts among their own kind, humans thought more about using violence to obtain everything, even if such violence might cost them their lives; while humans who have undergone enlightenment education will use a game-theoretic approach to handle disputes when conflicts arise with their own kind, trying to avoid mutual destruction."
Todd gave an example: "Imagine two kingdoms that are sworn enemies, but they both possess the weapon 'Death Silence.' If someone with weak reason wants to eliminate their opponent, the result is that while you throw out Death Silence, the other side will also throw out Death Silence back at you, and in the end, both kingdoms perish together. But someone with strong reason will use Death Silence as a 'threatening' means, ultimately achieving balance in the game."
Meredith asked, "What if the king of one kingdom is rational and the king of another kingdom is impulsive?"
"Then the last two kingdoms will still perish. Therefore, the decision-makers in a kingdom should not be the king, but the people, who should elect one or a group of rational national leaders through collective elections to avoid decision-making errors at the national level. The king himself is more of a symbol, a sign."
Meredith seemed to understand: "Oh, so I heard that you, as king, left Twilight City and let the cabinet members and honorary knights manage the kingdom together."
Todd nodded in agreement.
"Is there another way to avoid wars of extinction? It's what you just mentioned, the 'binding of faith'."
Todd closed his eyes and sighed softly: "This is what I'm doing in Froststone City. I hope to build a utopia with a unified faith."
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