Nuclear weapons and the conflict of conscience
edited by John C. Bennett
Bok · Engelsk · 1962
| Medvirkende | |
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| Utgitt | New York [N.Y.] : Charles Scribner's Sons , cop. 1962
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| Omfang | 191 s.
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| Opplysninger | Foreword -- International politics and the nuclear dilemma / John H. Herz -- The nature of nuclear war / David R. Inglis -- Ethical aspects of the nuclear dilemma / Kenneth W. Thompson -- Moral urgencies in the nuclear context / John C. Bennett -- Explorations into the unilateral disarmament position / Erich Fromm -- The case for making "just war" possible / Paul Ramsey -- Faith and the perilous future / Roger L. Shinn -- A reading list -- Index of major issues discussed. - History has placed our generation in an unenviable position. We possess weapons of sufficient power to destroy or at least cripple the whole human race. Yet were are unable to agree with our ideological enemies on basic ground rules for staying alive. The bombs that obliterated Hiroshima and Nagasaki produced a cloud of anxiety that is now part of our daily consciousness. This timely book makes a serious effort to explore the nuclear problem in all its aspects - strategic, scientific, moral, and providential. No easy answers are given, but the reader will understand more clearly the strategic and moral consequences of alternative policies. The first two chapters describe the political and scientific context of our dilemma - absolute power wedded to absolute insecurity resulting from weapons and missiles of unprecedented destructiveness and speed. The next four chapters offer diverse answers to the question of how we can act responsibly to preserve security for the nation and for the free world without surrendering all moral norms. They all seek to overcome the tendency to substitute strategy for ethics. The last chapter adds a dimension that is usually neglected, namely, the effect of man's destructive powers on the meaning of history and on faith in providence and human destiny. The seven notable authorities who have contributed their thoughts to this volume range over many issues. Among these are the dangers from fall-out, our policy of nuclear deterrence, attacks on populations, the question of an effective civil defense and shelter program, the long-term effect of the arms race on individuals and society, the nature of the Communist threat, and the likelihood of achieving some measure of disarmament and arms control. Nuclear Weapons and the Conflict of Conscience shows that politics and morals are inextricably linked in this age of fateful decisions
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