Chapter 8: An Astonishing Sixty Years: The Legacy of Hiroshima Summary and Analysis

This chapter is a departure from the rest of the book. It is Dr. Schelling's Nobel lecture. In his lecture, Schelling lauds the lapse of time that has gone by without a country attacking another with nuclear weapons. Schelling speaks in fearful yet awe-inspiring terms of the power of the nuclear weapon. He covers a history of the weapons and the changing reactions and thoughts of society regarding these destructive entities that share the planet with its vulnerable population. Schelling takes the reader (listener) through some of the circumstances surrounding President Truman's decision to use the bomb. The British pleaded with the US President not to use the weapon but of course that appeal of course failed.

Schelling then takes the reader through the thoughtful...