''The Fate of the Earth'' is a 1982 book by

Jonathan Schell Jonathan Edward Schell (August 21, 1943 – March 25, 2014) was an American author and visiting fellow at Yale University, whose work primarily dealt with campaigning against nuclear weapons. Personal Schell was born in New York City on August 2 ...

. Its description of the consequences of nuclear war "forces even the most reluctant person to confront the unthinkable: the destruction of humanity and possibly most

life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

". The work is regarded as a key document in the

nuclear disarmament Nuclear may refer to: Physics Relating to the nucleus of the atom: *Nuclear engineering *Nuclear physics *Nuclear power *Nuclear reactor *Nuclear weapon *Nuclear medicine *Radiation therapy *Nuclear warfare Mathematics * Nuclear space * Nuclea ...

movement.Gerald H. Clarfield and William M. Wiecek (1984). ''Nuclear America: Military and Civilian Nuclear Power in the United States 1940-1980'', Harper & Row, New York, p. 477. The book is composed of three essays. The third and final, "The Choice", is an argument that the source of the nuclear threat is the nation-state system, and that the choice is between survival and national sovereignty.

Criticism

In his review of ''The Fate of the Earth'', Brian Martin posited that the argument that "most people" would die in the nuclear war is highly exaggerated, especially for the Global South. He explains the discrepancy: It is possible, on the other hand, to set against this claim some lines from the book:

"To say that human extinction is a certainty would, of course, be a misrepresentation—just as it would be a misrepresentation to say that extinction can be ruled out. To begin with, we know that a holocaust may not occur at all. If one does occur, the adversaries may not use all their weapons. If they do use all their weapons, the global effects, in the ozone and elsewhere, may be moderate. And if the effects are not moderate but extreme, the ecosphere may prove resilient enough to withstand them without breaking down catastrophically". (pp. 93-94.)

More generally, Schell's analysis of the effects of a full-scale nuclear exchange proceeds from a stance of cognitive modesty:

"In weighing the fate of the earth and, with it, our own fate, we stand before a mystery, and in tampering with the earth we tamper with a mystery. We are in deep ignorance. Our ignorance should dispose us to wonder, our wonder should make us humble, our humility should inspire us to reverence and caution, and our reverence and caution should lead us to act without delay to withdraw the threat we now pose to the earth and to ourselves." (p.95)

In popular culture

* In the 1985 Infocom interactive fiction game '' A Mind Forever Voyaging'', ''The Fate of the Earth'' is on the list of banned books, tapes, and programs issued by the Morality Bureau of the government in Rockvil's Main Library in the 2071 simulation.

References

External links

''The Fate of the Earth'' by Jonathan Schell
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fate of the Earth 1982 non-fiction books 1982 in the environment Books about politics of the United States Books about nuclear issues

Criticism

In popular culture

See also

References

External links