Synopses & Reviews
One of the "inventors" of the nuclear bomb, Sir Joseph Rotblat very soon turned away from weapons research to make a prolonged and principled stand against the dangers of nuclear proliferation. A physicist of great brilliance, he metamorphosed into a campaigner of admired moral conviction and leadership. This series of dialogues between two leading ethical thinkers brings together the courage and humanity of Rotblat with the spiritual wisdom and global visionary outlook of Daisaku Ikeda, the leader of the world's largest and most influential lay Buddhist organization. Together they reflect on fundamental issues of war and peace, the ethics of nuclear deterrence and the trajectory of Joseph Rotblat's career, from the Manhattan Project to the Pugwash Conference and his Nobel Prize. Rotblat's life-long mantra was that scientists have a moral responsibility to save lives, not destroy them. The integrity of both writers emerges powerfully and inspiringly from their wide-ranging discussions, which serve as a stark warning against the dangers of a resurgent atomic weapons race.
About the Author
Sir Joseph Rotblat, who died in August 2005, was one of the scientists recruited to build the atomic bombs which brought the Second World War to an end. Turning his back on the nuclear programme, he subsequently became a tireless campaigner for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
Daisaku Ikeda is the President of Soka Gakkai International and the author of over 80 books on Buddhist themes.
Table of Contents
Foreword * Preface * One World, One Table, One Will to Unring the Nuclear Bell * The Power of a Name: Albert Einstein, Bertrand Russell and Their Manifesto * Hiroshima and Nagasaki: From Japan's Ground Zero to the World * Living History: To Survive and Study when the World is at War * The Conscience of a Nuclear Physicist: Quitting the Manhattan Project * From Hiroshima to Norway: Pugwash wins the Nobel Prize * The Lie of Deterrence and the Vision of Abolition * Loyalty to Humanity: Competition with a Humane Face * Science and Faith: The Extension of Reason * Towards a World without War: The United Nations, Global Government and We, the People * Glossary * Index