Alan Beyerchen addresses the ways that scientists consider the ethical, social, and cultural implications of their research and experiments. With the successful detonation of a nuclear device in New Mexico in July 1945, the Atomic Age was born. The Manhattan Project, as the test was named, contributed dramatically to the debate about scientists and social responsibility. How did scientists talk to society about these implications? Beyerchen cites the work of James Franck and other scientists who opposed the use of the nuclear bomb in World War II.
At the time of this conversation, Beyerchen, a Fellow at the National Humanities Center (1984-85), was professor of history at Ohio State University.
This edition of Soundings was conducted by Wayne J. Pond.
