○  SHALLWECHOOSEDEATH?2  ○

[dvnews_page]shallwechoosedeath?bertrandruell
   december30,1954    here,then,istheproblemwhichipresenttoyou,starkanddreadfulandinescapable:shallweputanendtothehumanrace1orshallmankindrenouncewar?peoplewillnotfacethisalternativebecauseitissodifficulttoabolishwar.theabolitionofwarwilldemanddistastefullimitatioofnationalsovereignty.butwhatperhaimpedesunderstandingofthesituationmorethananythingelseisthattheterm''mankind''feelsvagueandatract.peoplescarcelyrealizeinimaginationthatthedangeristothemselvesandtheirchildrenandtheirgrandchildren,andnotonlytoadimlyarehendedhumanity''andsotheyhopethatperhawarmaybeallowedtocontinueprovidedmodernweapoareprohibited.iamafraidthishopeisillusory.whateveragreementsnottousehydrogenbomhadbeenreachedintimeofpeace,theywouldnolongerbecoideredbindingintimeofwar,andbothsideswouldsettoworktomanufacturehydrogenbomassoonaswarbrokeout,forifonesidemanufacturedthebomandtheotherdidnot,thesidethatmanufacturedthemwouldinevitablybevictorious...asgeologicaltimeisreckoned,manhassofarexistedonlyforaveryshortperiodonemillionyearsatthemost.whathehasachieved,eeciallyduringthelast6,000years,issomethingutterlynewinthehistoryofthecosmos,sofaratleastasweareacquaintedwithit.forcountleagesthesunroseandset,themoonwaxedandwaned,thestarsshoneinthenight,butitwasonlywiththecomingofmanthatthesethingswereunderstood.inthegreatworldofastronomyandinthelittleworldoftheatom,manhasunveiledsecretswhichmighthavebeenthoughtundiscoverable.inartandliteratureandreligion,somemenhaveshownasublimityoffeelingwhichmakestheeciesworthpreserving.isallthistoendintrivialhorrorbecausesofewareabletothinkofmanratherthanofthisorthatgroupofmen?isourracesodestituteofwisdom,soincapableofimpartiallove,soblindeventothesimplestdictatesofself-preservation,thatthelastproofofitssillycleverneistobetheexterminationofalllifeonourplanet?-fo

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