Is it a defensive weapon? It can be viewed as one in relation to the reality bomb, but was the Osterhagen project itself from the outset a defensive weapon? Looking at the project's idea, outside of The Stolen Earth situation it's more a device for mass euthanasia. --Tangerineduel 14:41, October 29, 2009 (UTC)

Seems more like an offensive weapon to me. Killing yourself isn't a great defense, and if you really needed mass euthanasia, I'm sure there'd be a method without a giant explosion. -<15:43, October 29, 2009 (UTC)

I got to euthanasia from the description of it "to be used only when humanity were suffering unbearably and no hope or help was ever coming." Though it was still pretty presumptuous of the UN to create a project like it. It's only an offensive weapon if you follow the MAD (mutually assured destruction) model and for it to work the enemy would need to be in orbit or have landed considerable forces on the Earth. --Tangerineduel 16:37, October 29, 2009 (UTC)

Well, the only good reasons for euthanasia for an entire species that I can think of are some sort of disease (you don't need to blow up the planet for that), some cosmic anomaly (you probably don't need to blow up the planet for that) or aliens coming down and physically doing bad things to Earth, in which case destroying the space murders/looter/rapists/whatever along with yourself is good for the rest of the universe. -<Azes13 16:32, October 30, 2009 (UTC)

So do we think offensive or defensive weapon or just get rid of the statement about it being either sort and call it a device? --Tangerineduel 16:35, October 30, 2009 (UTC)