Supporting STEM Education in Northern New Mexico
The invention of nuclear weapons 75 years ago changed international affairs--and also the existential framework of a large portion of the world’s people. We are now long beyond the confrontations of the cold war, and the world’s largest weapons stockpiles have been greatly reduced. Yet nuclear weapons issues are now present and rising, with Russia (again), Iran, and North Korea looming large in the news—and with the playing field changing weekly, it seems. This talk will take one slice through the many complex issues associated with nuclear deterrence.
Modern war has held some “conventional” horrors that compare in destruction, but the power of a single nuclear weapon makes them different. The talk will explore why nations still have/want nuclear weapons, what deterrence is, and what it is used to support or prevent. It’ll consider a few nations’ stated (or inferred) views of nuclear ownership as they have evolved from a post-cold-war world to an increasingly complex present. It'll examine arguments suggesting nuclear deterrence has helped avoid major-state war and mass casualties, and arguments that their existence simply poses too great a risk. And also explore a question whose visibility has waxed and waned over the recent decades: whether we could solve those risks by getting rid of them…or not.
Join Dr. Phil Goldstone as he explores these topics.
The Bradbury Science Museum Association supports and inspires learners of all ages in Northern New Mexico and beyond through STEM Education.
