I get why people think they should/could object to war and think choosing projects is enough.
If you work on OSS, you're contributing to the military industrial complex indirectly.
If you pay your taxes, yes, you pay for schools, but you're also paying for an intelligence system and armed contingent within your country. Most HNers are contributing to NATO.
The Internet started life as a DARPA project in order to coordinate response after nuclear war.
Be a conscientious objector if you wish, just don't build stuff on the Internet and complain about how evil all things related to defence are.
And I'd be fascinated to know what forms of profiteering you consider ethical.
I think of it differently. The economy really doesn’t need to employ everyone who needs work and money. Government could diminish this discrepancy any number ways. For one, they could establish stipends to help people achieve their basic needs. Or they could create public works projects or just government projects to ensure full employment with suitable accommodations for people’s varied needs. I look at defense spending as essentially this. Yes, the US has a huge defense department. Yes that means the US has the most might of any country. That even leads it to things like excesses. But it’s fundamentally the only version of my previous statement the political climate digests. If you want otherwise and are a US citizen then get involved in your civil duties.
I agree that open source code can be used for purposes you don't like. By using an open source license, you give up control. (But should you retain that sort of control over everything you do? I'm unconvinced.)
I don't believe that ethical thinking has to be all or nothing. Not taking some projects makes them a bit harder and more expensive to recruit for and helps you sleep better at night, if that's the sort of thing that bothers you. Not paying your taxes is something you can go to jail for, which seems like a bad trade.
If you work on OSS, you're contributing to the military industrial complex indirectly.
If you pay your taxes, yes, you pay for schools, but you're also paying for an intelligence system and armed contingent within your country. Most HNers are contributing to NATO.
The Internet started life as a DARPA project in order to coordinate response after nuclear war.
Be a conscientious objector if you wish, just don't build stuff on the Internet and complain about how evil all things related to defence are.
And I'd be fascinated to know what forms of profiteering you consider ethical.