Politics & Current Affairs — April 7, 2010

Nuke-Free for Real?

Some of the most arch realists and high-ranking Cold warriors in the US foreign-policy establishment are supporting the idea of a nuclear-free world. But is it actually attainable?

bigthinkeditor

Some of the most arch realists and high-ranking Cold warriors in the US foreign-policy establishment are supporting the idea of a nuclear-free world. Having realized the dangers that have grown in the world since the end of the U.S.’s nuclear-tipped standoff with Russia, many think that we would be safer with fewer arms. Skeptics, however, believe that attempts to establish a nuclear-free world could increase the chances that a nuke might be used. “Is a nuclear-free world actually attainable?” asks Robert Marquand. “Is it just a gauzy notion, or the grand imperative of our time?”

Ancient bust of a bearded man, believed to depict one of history's generous leaders, with detailed facial features, set against a plain turquoise background.

Business

Aristotle plus generosity: How to soften the hard-boiled leader

Tough and cutthroat leaders are celebrated in a results-driven culture — but there is another path to C-suite success.

Starts With A Bang

The unsurprising non-detection of intelligent aliens

Life arose on Earth very early on. After a few billion years, here we are: intelligent and technologically advanced. Where's everyone else?

A person in a dark robe wielding a glowing red lightsaber on a desert dune under a night sky with a large crescent moon and a visible planet.

High Culture

Does science fiction shape the future?

Six visionary science fiction authors on the social impact of their work.

A human brain preserved in a clear glass container filled with a yellowish preserving fluid, set against a bright, light green background.

13.8

The key problem with the “brain in a vat” thought experiment

Even with the best technology imaginable, you'd probably never be able to exist as a consciously aware brain in a vat.

A dramatic solar eclipse with a radiant ring of fire visible around the moon, set against a backdrop of clouds and a sunburst.

13.8

A cosmic coincidence: What eclipses tell us about Earth

Total eclipses are a product of a strange and almost eerie cosmic coincidence — one that makes Earth an even rarer world in the galaxy and, by proxy, in the Universe.

Up Next

Guest Thinkers

Large Lizards

Scientists in the Philippines say they have discovered a new species of giant lizards with bright yellow, blue, and green skin, that lives in the forests and survives on a fruit-only diet.