For most of our history, the development of technology has been inextricably tied to war. Truly civilian technological progress is a very recent development -- it only really took off after the end of the Cold War.

I got my engineering degree from a very old military school, headed by a 4-star general. I work in Silicon Valley, which sprouted from the US military-industrial complex. Half of the techs I use in any given day have a military origin -- most prominently computers & the Internet.

The fact that, today, most technological development is no longer driven by war is a remarkable sign of civilization. It gives me hope for the future.