In this Book
- Redefining Science: Scientists, the National Security State, and Nuclear Weapons in Cold War America
- Book
- 2017
- Published by: University of Massachusetts Press
- Series: Culture, Politics, and the Cold War
summary
The Cold War forced scientists to reconcile their values of internationalism and objectivity with the increasingly militaristic uses of scientific knowledge. For decades, antinuclear scientists pursued nuclear disarmament in a variety of ways, from grassroots activism to transnational diplomacy and government science advising. The U.S. government ultimately withstood these efforts, redefining science as a strictly technical endeavor that enhanced national security and deeming science that challenged nuclear weapons on moral grounds "emotional" and patently unscientific. In response, many activist scientists restricted themselves to purely technical arguments for arms control. When antinuclear protest erupted in the 1980s, grassroots activists had moved beyond scientific and technical arguments for disarmament. Grounding their stance in the idea that nuclear weapons were immoral, they used the "emotional" arguments that most scientists had abandoned.
Redefining Science shows that the government achieved its Cold War "consensus" only by active opposition to powerful dissenters and helps explain the current and uneasy relationship between scientists, the public, and government in debates over issues such as security, energy, and climate change.
Redefining Science shows that the government achieved its Cold War "consensus" only by active opposition to powerful dissenters and helps explain the current and uneasy relationship between scientists, the public, and government in debates over issues such as security, energy, and climate change.
Table of Contents
Download Full Book
- Title Page, Copyright Page, Dedication
- pp. i-viii
- Conclusion: The Future of Nuclear Weapons
- pp. 241-248
- About the Author
- pp. 307-309
Additional Information
ISBN
9781613764794
Related ISBN(s)
9781613764800, 9781625342430, 9781625342447
MARC Record
OCLC
1012285691
Pages
324
Launched on MUSE
2017-11-22
Language
English
Open Access
No