In the Shadow of the Bomb

Rating:
Summary: Moral responsibility and ethical behaivor
Review: I cannot praise this book too highly. The issues it is concerned with, the qualities of the individuals it focuses upon, the importance of the lessons which Schweber so clearly defines make it an outstanding contribution to science and to general literature. I cannot remember another occasion in which I spent as much time on the introduction to a book as I did in this case.Although the setting is within the realm of science there is no requirement that the reader have a scientific background to appreciate fully the nature of this book which is concerned with moral responsibility and ethical behaivor at a level which impacts on the survival of humanity and the endurance of our planet. I found myself going back to my old copy of Lawrence and Oppenheimer by Nuel Pharr Davis which deals with many of the same issues in Schweber's book; but from a much different perspective. The concurent reading of both books has been a very satisfying experience. I believe In The Shadow of the Bomb is an extremely important book with meaningfull lessons for society. Nothing like it has been presented on this topic before.

Some years ago I visited Los Alamos and toured the small museum in Fuller Lodge which contains some interesting memorabilia from Oppenheimer's era. One is a letter from his secretary to the Buildings and Maintenance Department requesting that a carpenter come to Dr. Oppenheimer's office and drive a nail into the wall so that Dr. Oppenheimer could have a place to hang his hat. A second letter, dated some months later, is a repeat request for the same action. I was well aware that Oppenheimer was a theoretical physicist and not an expermental physicist never the less I marveled at the fact that he was apparently incapable of using even simple tools.I found this lack of a practical approach to a low level technical problem disconserting. If Oppenheimer had learned how to use a hammer to drive a nail perhaps things might have ended for him some what differently. We will never know.

Rating:
Summary: Oppenheimer, Bethe and their moral responsibility
Review: I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to find out something about two of the greatest scientists of the 20th century. I originally bought this book for a paper on J.R. Oppenheimer's ethical behaviour and I was a bit disappointed that the main part of where he completely changed his point of view concerning the development of the atomic bomhb and the H-bomb was written in the introduction. It is the most informative part of the book anyway, since it is easy to read even if you didn't have more than an introductory course in Physics at school.

All in all I can say that this is a book that gives a good look behind the scenes of science, in the mind of these two scientists who helped shape the world as we enter the next millennium.

Rating:
Summary: An Important book for our time
Review: The 21st century is here and ethical may play a significant role in decisions made in scientific research and international affairs. This is so because the world in which we live is seeking a direction for human well-being. What's more, the implications of scientific research have moved to the forefront in the midst of cloning, genetic manipulation and so on. This book reminds us that scientists are people too and some were aware of the possible consequences of their work. They were concerned not only with whether or not something could be done but ought it to be done. Such a book is so important for our times as technology continues run far ahead of ethics and moral accountability. In a world where nuclear weapons are spreading it is important that human beings come to grips with the nuclear menace with a commitment to the elimination of these awful weapons. This book should be read by every scientist and concerned citizen. Our future may depend on the lessons gleaned from scuh publications and the life stories of such extraordinary people like Robert Oppenheimer and Hans Bethe.