Nikola Tesla Articles
June, 1900, Mr. Tesla printed a long article, superbly illustrated with cuts that had little or nothing to do with his subject, which dealt with a few electrical matters and also with philosophies and social problems, upon which he freely expressed a jumble of trivial, ignorant, pretentious and erroneous opinions." ("Popular Science Monthly," Vol. 58, p. 437.) This article attracted widespread attention, and if Tesla in truth experiences a feeling of satisfaction at adverse criticism, as he once stated in the New York "Sun," he must have enjoyed keen ecstasies on reading the comments it evoked, as the above quotation would indicate. Nor did the "Century" itself escape criticism. In publishing such pseudo-scientific productions such magazines "descend to a footing with the Sunday newspaper. They evidently do not know science from rubbish, and apparently seldom make any effort to find out the difference." ("Popular Science Monthly," July, 1900.) A brief review of the article will assist to an appreciation of the justice of the criticisms, and, perhaps, to a truer estimate of Tesla's character and the value to be put upon his work than could otherwise be obtained.
The problem treated is that of humanity as a mass acted on by forces, one tending to acceleration, the other to retardation. The three methods of increasing the energy are the increase of the mass, the diminution of the retarding force, and the increase of the force making for progress. The treatment of the first method need not be considered here. It consists merely in the assertion of well-known sociological principles. It is the second method that introduces the first novel element in this remarkable paper. War is justly considered an important factor in the retarding force, and the means of its elimination are unique. Battles will no longer be waged by human beings, but, instead, by machines, by Tesla's "telautomatons."
Rival fleets of these beneficent Frankensteins will clash in mid-ocean for the determination of maritime supremacy, their maneuvers being controlled from physicists' laboratories on shore. These long-distance weapons, the harbingers of universal peace, are already perfected. Another more wonderful type is on its way. (Quoting from the " Century article): An automaton may be contrived which will have its 'own mind,' and by this I mean that it will be able, independent of any operator, left entirely to itself, to perform, in response to external influences affecting its sensitive organs, a great variety of acts and operations as if it had intelligence. It will be able to follow a course laid out or to obey orders given far in advance. It will be capable of distinguishing between what it ought and what it ought not to do, and of making experiences, or, otherwise stated, of recording impressions which will definitely affect its subsequent actions. In fact, I have already conceived such a plan." Truly, Tesla's science is stranger than fiction. This noble scheme for universal peace must be passed by with a single quoted comment ("Popular Science Monthly," July, 1900): "Inasmuch as the interest in this telautomatic warfare is to be purely aesthetic, it would seem as if international bull fights or kite flying, or spelling matches, or potato races, might do as well, and have the added advantage of leaving Mr. Tesla's expectations free to wander among the following prospective discoveries."
The methods of increasing the accelerating force comprise the third and largest division of the Century article This section is introduced by the
