Siddhant Uppal, Vivekananda Institute of Professional Studies
Introduction
“Mankind invented the atomic bomb, but no mouse would ever construct a mousetrap.”
-Albert Einstein
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) begins with the following statement: “Considering the devastation that would be visited upon all mankind by a nuclear war and the consequent need to make every effort to avert the danger of such a war and to take measures to safeguard the security of peoples, Believing that the proliferation of nuclear weapons would seriously enhance the danger of nuclear war.”
There is a topic of great interest and discussion concerning the question of the proliferation, or rather, the complete absence of life from human detection despite the presence of several potentially habitable planets in our own galaxy and range of detection called “The Great Filter” The proposition, when greatly simplified, states that there lies a barrier to the development and the proliferation of life in the universe. From the Abiogenesis of life to the expanse of civilization to the far reaches of space, there is something that prohibits life from progression beyond a certain point, “The Filter”.
It is unclear where the position of humanity lies, whether we are past the barrier (if so, what makes our position special enough to do so when such has never been seen in the near endless expanse of the universe) or we are yet to face this terrible barrier which almost certainly means the end of humanity (and perhaps all life as we know it).
It is the duty of humanity to preserve the well being of our species. Currently, the candidate that outshines all other possible methods of being a self made, technological ‘Great filter’ is nuclear weaponry. Its invention could possibly be so inevitable and fundamental to the process of technological growth that all intelligent civilizations are destined to walk down this path of self destruction. The invention of nuclear and thermonuclear weaponry is perhaps the greatest folly of mankind and possibly its own demise.
The devastation caused in the wake of a nuclear explosion is well understood and witnessed first hand in numerous tests and the only offensive use ever seen during the second world war. The infamous “Little Boy” which was responsible for the deaths of nearly 237,000 people within 5 years of detonation via radiation poisoning, burns or the explosion itself according to the US Department of Energy. The “Fat Man” took another 60,000 to 80,000 more lives.
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