ABSTRACT
Stealth technology demonstrates the civilized barbarism of modern warfare. Even though stealth technology and its uses are highly innovative, they are geared toward destructive physical efficiency. In sociology, one theorist who discusses the use of force and deception is Thorstein Veblen. His social theory can be used to explore many of the social features of stealth technology. The barbarian bent of modern society has implications for the use of stealth technology. Nations acquire stealth technology in part as displays of status and wealth. Veblen stated that among other signs of barbarism, modern society still had impulses toward the use of force and deception. In Theory of the Leisure Class, Veblen discusses the characteristics of barbaric or predatory culture. Stealth technology encompasses a wide array of military technologies. A definition of stealth technology is technology that is "intended to render aircraft, missiles, and ships harder to detect by sight, sound, and heat as well as radar".
