Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove: or how I learned to love the Bomb explores themes relating to the absurdity of war, the end of existence on Earth, the business and politics of conflict, and how the misuse of technology affects our lives. This essay will specifically focus on the consequences nuclear technology can have on humans and the environment. The use of military nuclear technology predicts the end of life on earth, while the effects of radioactive nuclear waste alter negatively and permanently our environment.
As revealed in Dr. Strangelove, any abuse of military nuclear power will end life on Earth. One form of abuse could take place through the implementation of Mutual Assured Destruction (M.A.D.) which “is a doctrine of military strategy and national security policy in which a full-scale use of nuclear weapons by two or more opposing sides would cause complete annihilation” (987).[1]. In Dr.Strangelove, both Americans and Russians are represented as being less than competent, stable, and responsible in the characters of General Ripper, Dr.Strangelove, and the prime minister of the Soviet Union. Similarly, the leaders of the United States and Russia today, namely Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, are equally unstable, incompetent, and unpredictable. Thus, the possibility of M.A.D. unfolding and destroying life on earth increases exponentially when two leading and “Mad? Politicians exist. As Voltaire once stated “with great power comes great responsibility” and the dominant politicians of our age have shown less than convincing responsibility on multiple occasions. Since the introduction of modern nuclear technology and our knowledge of its consequences, it has become necessary to have rational and poised politicians in power. Without this being the case in contemporary politics, our most basic feature – survival – or our selfish gene, as coined by Richard Dawkins, is at stake. To think that a mad minority of politicians can easily create end of the world scenarios affecting the greater majority is enough to drive one insane, but, more importantly, it should cause a majority to reflect on the consequences of electing unstable and unpredictable leadership. Both Einstein and Plato – from opposing political beliefs 0 caution us about the potentially “disastrous” and “nightmarish” consequences of electing the wrong officials. For Plato, you reach political power in a republic only after becoming a philosopher, which requires a citizen to expose himself or herself to public opinion for at least 55 years. Einstein, on the other hand, pleads for intellectuals to hold positions of power. As “relative” as this belief may appear, can we agree that neither Putin nor Trump fall under such category.
Nuclear weaponry in the wrong hands can be catastrophic, but even more, concerning is how nuclear energy and its residue can negatively affect both human health and the environment. Nuclear energy emerges from the splitting of the Uranium-235 or Plutonium-239 atoms, which results in a process termed fission. Such splitting into two or more lighter nuclei releases large amounts of energy in the form of gamma radiation and free neutrons. All of this is fine and has little consequences on the environment when it is under strict control. However, any kind of leak or explosion to a nuclear power plant will have a devastating impact on human life and the environment. Gamma radiation released into an environment will cause serious if not fatal genetic mutations to life – either human or not – in the form of cancer, sterility, malformation, and death. Moreover, such accidental discharge of hazardous energy permeates the atmosphere for an indefinite amount of time. Simply speaking, it stays in our atmosphere an extended period of time and whether we like it or not, we breathe trace amounts of it. Examples of such tragedy have occurred within the past generation in Ukraine and Japan. The Chernobyl power plant exploded in 1986 whereas Fukushima leaked radioactivity in 2011. Both tragedies lead to devastating effects on humans and wildlife. Such consequences will persist well into the future affecting humans in lesser or greater degree depending on location. If anyone doubts this, the evidence is to be found in Hiroshima and Nagasaki today where present generations are still affected by the release of atomic radiation from World War II.
The intention of this essay was to explore the repercussions of using nuclear technology in warfare and the negative effect of nuclear energy on the environment. Specifically, when the nuclear potential in modern warfare is placed in the wrong hands, it increases exponentially the risk of M.A.D. – the total annihilation of life on Earth. Unlike Dr.Strangelove’ suggestion that humans could live in mines, the reality f nuclear warfare is limitless devastation. Moreover, any kind of explosion or leaking of nuclear energy from its power plants has resulted in and will result in compromising both human and other life on Earth. The fallout of nuclear spillage is tragic because its effects can never be overturned and remain in our atmosphere forever. For all these reasons, humans must be especially cautious and responsible in their use of nuclear energy.
[1] “Mutual Assured Destruction” Collins COBUILD English dictionary. London, Harper Collins, 1999, pp. 987.
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