The Great Atomic Power, part 1

Today is the 78th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. I saw Oppenheimer two weeks ago, so the development and use of the atomic bomb has been on my mind lately. One of the taglines of the movie is “The World Forever Changes.” The dawn of the atomic age does feel like a seismic shift, one of those fixed points in history.

But, did the world really change? For those years-deep in the horrors of war, maybe it didn’t seem so. Just bigger and badder, but just another weapon. Just as many died over one night of the fire bombing of Tokyo as in Hiroshima. A city destroyed, tens of thousands dead and wounded—looks like the same bleak world of war. Can a weapon change the nature of man?

Scientists have always been seeking the truth to how the world works. But with that knowledge comes power and responsibility. What do we do with newfound knowledge? Are there things that are scientifically possible but morally inexcusable? Who decides and enforces that moral line?

The word atom means “uncuttable.” The ancient Greeks proposed that all matter was composed of eternal, infinite units that determined the quality of an object. In modern times, atoms were named such because it was believed that they were the smallest parts of matter. But scientists discovered smaller parts (protons, neutrons, electrons), and then even smaller parts (quarks). The interactions and transmutability of these teeny-tiny atoms contained tremendous power.

Throughout the nineteenth century, the study of elements and their weights developed early atomic theory. The discovery of the electron at the end of the century suggested there was more going on within atoms. Ernest Rutherford, considered the father of nuclear physics, discovered the atom contained a nucleus, protons, and neutrons. He conducted the first artificially induced nuclear reaction in 1917. In 1932, the first experiment to split a nucleus in a fully controlled manner was conducted. Nuclear fission, in which the nucleus splits into small nuclei was discovered in Germany in 1938. Scientists theorized that neutrons from a nuclear reaction could create chain reactions—in a controlled manner, this would produce usable energy; in an uncontrolled manner, an intense, sudden burst of energy could be used in a bomb.

This is a very, very condensed history, but also, a lot was happening in a very condensed amount of time. In just 40 or so years, between the discovery of the electron and the development of the bomb, the world also saw the creation of radios, planes, tanks, movies, radar, and rockets; the First World War introduced modern warfare, including the use of poison gas. The world had been horrifying by the war, claiming never again.

But now with World War II now on, there was a fear that the Germans would be successful in creating an atomic bomb first and use it against the Allies. There was pressure to not fall behind, not fall victim to an Axis victory. In 1942, the team at the University of Chicago produced the first artificial self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction. In July 1945, the Trinity test released the world’s first atomic bomb. Less than a month later, two atomic bombs were dropped on Japan.

There is a lot that could be said about the decision to use the bomb. But, the more I learn about the era, the more I understand the decision. I don’t know that I agree, but I understand. The U.S. was preparing for a full invasion of Japan, with expected casualties of U.S. personnel and Japanese personnel and civilians in the millions. The effects of radiation and fallout weren’t fully understood. Tokyo was already flattened by firebombing. The use of gas and biological weapons was being considered. Is the atomic bomb really that much further? It promised an end to the war, a quick, victorious end.

After the war, and after seeing the horrific effects of the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, there seemed to be a general consensus that atomic weapons are morally a step too far. Diplomacy has worked to prevent the use of the bomb, even as nuclear powers build bigger bombs and missiles as deterrence stockpiles. But even if all the nuclear powers fully disarmed, the threat of nuclear weapons doesn’t go away, because we can’t unlearn that knowledge. They could always be built again, especially in a time of war when the moral calculus leans toward the end by any means possible.

God has given us domain over the earth. Time and time again we have abused that power. We have depleted our resources, poisoned our water and air, and hunted species to extinction. We have developed guns, poison gas, and atomic weapons. We have used our knowledge to harm one another, to physically and spiritually harm ourselves.