Nuclear Twilight: Where the Power of 100 Years of Humanity Goes 2020s

Nuclear Twilight: Where the Power of 100 Years of Humanity Goes 2020s

The nuclear age, which began in the 20th century, still quietly holds the future of humanity in its grip from behind the scenes. There are approximately 1241 nuclear warheads in the world, of which 39112 have been deployed and 2100 are in readiness. The Doomsday Clock has ticked down to 89 seconds, and with geopolitical tensions, the clock is ticking dangerously fast. With the nine nuclear powers modernizing their nuclear arsenals and China expanding its arsenal to 600 warheads, the composition of deterrence is turning complex and multipolar.

The foundation for arms control has also cracked. The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty has expired, confidence in the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty has receded, and the U.S.-Russian New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty has ceased to be verified and is no longer transparent. When institutions that should guarantee security are weakened, suspicions are amplified and the probability of miscalculation increases.

History has looked into the abyss many times. In the Petrov Incident during the Cold War, a false detection was halted by the judgment of the field. But the faster command and control increases, the more chance chance may not save the day the next time. The fact that conventional warfare leans toward the use of nuclear weapons as a means of reversing an inferior position at once is also built into real strategic calculations.

Harari says. Humanity's quest for "power" is endangering its own existence. Science and technology were originally tools to keep fear away and happiness close. But its success has now enabled global catastrophe. We have lost our mythology, we have amplified our power with no clear goal in mind, and we have come close to becoming both gods and demons who can end civilization at the touch of a button.

At the beginning of the 21st century, man has made war, pestilence, and famine more remote than in the past. But in the shadow of these achievements, power is beginning to lose its grip. We have not defined "what we want," but have simply pushed "what we can do. As a result, the smartest beings on earth have created a system that threatens itself.

If we are to tame the rampaging forces once again, it can only be through the restoration of institutions and the maturation of human beings themselves. We must relax our readiness to respond, give false alarms a reprieve, and maintain circuits of calm dialogue. Also, do not give too much decision-making initiative to algorithms and weapons. The more advanced the technology, the more "human prudence" is needed.

The journey in pursuit of power is always tempting. But no matter how much power we have to change the world, that power will eventually abandon us if we cannot say why we live and what kind of future we choose. The nucleus shows us a cold trailer of the moment when the power that man has created with his own hands transcends man. This century is the century in which we choose the end of that story.