A bow is usually considered a weapon while a car isn't, but the car has much more destructive power than the bow. It's not the destructive power that makes something a weapon.

[–] MrFunnyMoustache@lemmy.ml 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

But even if you replace the bow with a brick, it is still a weapon when someone smashes people's faces with it.

[–] AeonFelis@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

And a soft piece of sponge is also a weapon when you force it in someone's throat. If you define "weapon" like this, almost anything is a weapon. You lose the distinction between a bow that was designed for killing and a brick which was designed for building.

But more importantly - if everything can be a weapon when used as such, then saying that an interstellar capable spaceship is a weapon says nothing about spaceships themselves or interstellar travel itself.