Drone wars and ecstasy

To kick off Prospect's brand new Science & Technology section—an innovation for our re-designed March issue—we've put together a quartet of leading writers and thinkers. First up, Charlie Edwards reports on how our wars are increasingly being fought like video games, sometimes even by teenagers, on the other side of the world from where the action is taking place. The military claims that unmanned drones are crucial to the fight against Islamist terrorists; critics argue that they cause unacceptable civilian casualties—over 300 dead in the tribal areas of Pakistan alone since August 2008, including many women and children. But what also about the psychological cost to those who kill via videolink for a living, and then drive home to their families in the suburbs?

Elisabeth Pisani, meanwhile, takes the government to task for its ignorant, unscientific attitudes towards drug classification. New taxpayer-funded research suggests that "Ecstasy is less dangerous than a couple of pints; and certainly far less dangerous than horseriding. Yet the government insists that it will remain a class A drug, along with crack and heroin. Why? Simply because ecstasy is fun," argues Pisani.

Also this month, tech-guru Jaron Lanier revisits TED, the world's most exclusive conference, 20 years after he first pioneered the TED talk format that has taken the online world by storm. The rich and powerful still want to matter, he notes, but real debate is not welcomed when you're trying to woo the world's wealthiest. And wired expert Steven Johnson discusses Devonthkink, a new software that aids the creative process. Is this a great step forward for mankind—or just cheating?

As always, we'd love to hear your thoughts on any of these articles, as well as the new section as a whole.