Fall 2013 (27.3) Essay

The Gordian Knot: Moral Debate and Nuclear Weapons

We have the power of choice over nuclear weapons. But we do not feel our power. Instead, we feel their power. They are larger than life. They loom over us, seemingly beyond our control, shrouded in myth and dark mystery. Because of their power and our feeling that nuclear weapons are unique, we believe that these weapons require a special set of moral rules, specially tuned to the separate world where nuclear weapons dwell.

But nuclear weapons require no special morality; ordinary morality, it turns out, is good enough. This is because the powers of nuclear weapons have been grossly exaggerated. It is true that nuclear weapons are the most destructive weapons in the history of humankind. And they are certainly the most dangerous weapons that have ever been created. But despite their power, they also have limitations that make them quite ordinary. Indeed, nuclear weapons are not awe-inspiring, epochal, or war-winning, nor are they certain instruments of doom. They are clumsy, muscle-bound, expensive, unhandy weapons with little use except as totems of status. They are very difficult to win a war with—even if you have a monopoly on their use. As a result, what we already know about nuclear weapons is sufficient. We simply have to ask ourselves if it is right to kill innocents unnecessarily. The answer to this question will provide all the guidance we need.

To read or purchase the full text of this article, click here.

More in this issue

Fall 2013 (27.3) Review

Kant and the End of War: A Critique of Just War Theory by Howard Williams; and Kant and Cosmopolitanism: The Philosophical Ideal of World Citizenship by Pauline Kleingeld

These new books, by two of the foremost contemporary scholars of Kant’s political philosophy, deal extensively with the theme of international peace.

Fall 2013 (27.3) Essay

Hunger, Food Security, and the African Land Grab

Many global analysts predict that the biggest security threats in the twenty-first century may center on disputes over water and the food that Earth’s ...

Fall 2013 (27.3) Feature

Nonproliferation: A Global Issue for a Global Ethic

This essay, focused on the continuing moral challenge of nuclear weapons, recalls the intellectual and moral lessons of the last century and identifies three leading ...