Who to Blame: The Inventors or the Users?

A common saying goes, “When the purpose of a thing is not known, abuse is inevitable.” This was famously quoted by the great late Dr. Myles Munroe. There's much to pick from that little quote. It highlights the state of many things or situations in our society and the world at large. When a thing is created or invented, there are high chances of misuse or abuse due to a lack of clarity on its purpose. Certainly, such a thing will face the issue of abuse.

That isn't the real discourse. But in that sense, I try to ask, what if the purpose of a thing is known, yet it's abused or misused? And maybe even to the point that it causes damage, tension and destruction in society, nation and the world at large? What can be said in such a situation? I don't think ignorance also shares the blame in this case. If the purpose of an invention, if what that thing is meant for is clearly highlighted, yet people decide to use it against the intended purpose(s), then it draws us to a conversation.

Who then should be blamed is the conversation. Considering the abuse of inventions like drugs, weapons, and technological devices, which has been a thing in our world today, it begs for an answer to the question. Fortunately, I have a blunt answer to this discourse, at least from my end. And that's, the ones to blame are the perpetrators or users who engage in the misuse, abuse or alteration of an invention, for selfish reasons in most cases. Why blame the innocent inventor whose desire was to solve a need, hence made such an invention available?

Well, except otherwise. Yes, otherwise because arguably, blame could be traced to some inventors for the effects of their inventions. Like the atomic bomb created by American Physicist, J. Robert Oppenheimer alongside a team of like minds to be used in the fight during World War II. It was a successful invention, but it also left Oppenheimer guilty about the effects of his invention. Much more because it was later hijacked and used, beyond the World War situation, and away from his control.

I guess we can still build that to the reason that the perpetrators should be blamed since it was out of his control. Maybe or maybe not. Nevertheless, in most cases, it's about the users who misuse these inventions. As I said, it's mostly for selfish reasons. The inventors shouldn't be blamed in any way. The blame game shouldn't even be in the equation. Except if it's wrong to want to help humanity by bringing up inventions for their good. I've come to realise that no matter how good a thing and the purpose for it, it faces misuse and abuse in some way.

This is what should be done rather than playing the blame game. Why not perpetrators take responsibility for their actions and the system also charge them for their wrongdoing, leaving the inventors out of the equation? The fact that something made for good can be misused or altered into something else, causing havoc or damage is totally unappealing. Blaming the inventors only shows the unwillingness to desist from such acts. When we find who to blame for our wrongs, we won't repent of it.

Images are AI generated.

Thank you for reading through!