Overview

More than most of us, Mary Palevsky needed to come to terms with the moral complexities of the atomic bomb: Her parents worked on its development during World War II and were profoundly changed by that experience. After they died, unanswered questions sent their daughter on a search for understanding. This compelling, sometimes heart-wrenching chronicle is the story of that quest. It takes her, and us, on a journey into the minds, memories, and emotions of the bomb builders. Scientists Hans Bethe, Edward Teller, Joseph Rotblat, Herbert York, Philip Morrison, and Robert Wilson, and philosopher David Hawkins responded to Palevsky's personal approach in a way that dramatically expands their previously published statements. Her skill and passion as an interlocutor prompt these men to recall their lives vividly and to reexamine their own decisions, debating within themselves the complex issues raised by the bomb. The author herself, seeking to comprehend the widely differing ways in which individual scientists made choices about the bomb and made sense of their work, deeply reconsiders those questions of commitment and conscience her parents faced. In personal vignettes that complement the interviews, she captures other remembrances of the bomb through commemorative events and chance encounters with people who were ""there."" Her concluding chapter reframes the crucial moral questions in terms that show the questions themselves to be the abiding legacy we all share. This beautifully written book bridges generations to make its readers participants in the ongoing dialogue about science and philosophy, war and peace.

Full Product Details

Author:   Mary Palevsky
Publisher:   University of California Press
Imprint:   University of California Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.590kg
ISBN:  

9780520220553

ISBN 10:   0520220552
Pages:   303
Publication Date:   29 June 2000
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Out of stock  
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Table of Contents

Preface Acknowledgments Prologue Broken Vessel Chapter 1 Hans A. Bethe, Tough Dove A Thousand Cranes Chapter 2 Edward Teller, High Priest of Physics Martyrs to History? Chapter 3 Philip Morrison, Witness to Atomic History Pacific Memories I Chapter 4 David Hawkins, Chronicler of Los Alamos Pacific Memories II Chapter 5 Robert R. Wilson, the Psyche of a Physicist Professor Bethe at Home in His Office Chapter 6 Joseph Rotblat, Pugwash Pioneer The Old Country Chapter 7 Herbert F. York, Inside History Outsider History Running to Ground Zero EPILOGUE Mosaic The Problem of Power The Bohr Phenomenon Being God or Seeing God? An Atomic Scientist's Appeal What Science Is and What Science Makes Life Understood Backward Farewell Notes Selected Bibliography Sources of Illustrations Index

Reviews

Atomic Fragments. . . is deeply moving and its style will appeal to a wide audience. -- Times Higher Education Supplement

""""Atomic Fragments. . . is deeply moving and its style will appeal to a wide audience.""--""Times Higher Education Supplement

Author Information

Mary Palevsky directs the Nevada Test Site Oral History Project at UNLV.

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