The possibility of a nuclear war that could destroy civilization
has influenced the course of international affairs since 1945,
suspended like a sword of Damocles above the heads of the world's
leaders. The fact that we have escaped a third world war involving
strategic nuclear weapons—indeed, that no atomic weapon of
limited power has yet been used under battlefield
conditions—seems nothing short of a miracle. Revisiting debates
on the effectiveness and ethics of nuclear deterrence, Jean-Pierre
Dupuy is led to reformulate some of the most difficult questions in
philosophy. He develops a counterintuitive but powerful theory of
apocalyptic prophecy: once a major catastrophe appears to be
possible, one must assume that it will in fact occur. Dupuy shows
that the contradictions and paradoxes riddling discussions of
deterrence arise from the tension between two opposite conceptions
of time: one in which the future depends on decisions and strategy,
and another in which every occurring event is one that could not
have failed to occur. Considering the immense destructive power of
nuclear warheads and the almost unimaginable ruin they are bound to
cause, Dupuy reaches a provocative conclusion: whether they bring
about good or evil does not depend on the present or future
intentions of those who are in a position to use them. The mere
possession of nuclear weapons is a moral abomination.
General
| Imprint: |
Stanford University Press
|
| Country of origin: |
United States |
| Release date: |
August 2023 |
| First published: |
2023 |
| Authors: |
Jean-Pierre Dupuy
|
| Translators: |
Malcolm DeBevoise
|
| Dimensions: |
216 x 140mm (L x W) |
| Pages: |
192 |
| ISBN-13: |
978-1-5036-3515-9 |
| Categories: |
Books
Promotions
|
| LSN: |
1-5036-3515-5 |
| Barcode: |
9781503635159 |
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