Difference between revisions of "18: Slipping the DISC: State of The Portal and Chapter 2020"

So shortly after World War II there were two very important events in the early 1950's, from our perspective, one of which was the unlocking of the three-dimensional structure of DNA by Watson and Crick in 1953. And the other was the explosions of hydrogen devices using work of Edward Teller and Stanislaw Ulam, and what that changed in the human picture, because we went from a short period where we were dealing with atomic bombs, where duck-and-cover was a plausible solution, to dealing with hydrogen devices in which the destructive power was really incalculable. It's the power of gods used to power the Sun, here on Earth.

So shortly after World War II there were two very important events in the early 1950's, from our perspective, one of which was the unlocking of the three-dimensional structure of DNA by Watson and Crick in 1953. And the other was the explosions of hydrogen devices using work of Edward Teller and Stanislaw Ulam, and what that changed in the human picture, because we went from a short period where we were dealing with atomic bombs, where duck-and-cover was a plausible solution, to dealing with hydrogen devices in which the destructive power was really incalculable. It's the power of gods used to power the Sun, here on Earth.

Now, to my way of thinking, since the early 1950s, there has been no comparable explosion of wisdom to go along with this newfound power that humans have—this new Godlike power. So I called this the Twin Nuclei Problem of Cell and Atom.

Now, to my way of thinking, since the early 1950s, there has been no comparable explosion of wisdom to go along with this newfound power that humans have—this new Godlike power. So I called this the Twin Nuclei Problem of Cell and Atom.

And I think what we've had is an incredible run of luck. And I think it's the most magical and marvelous thing, but I don't believe that we can count on luck forever. And in fact given some of the events of early 2020 taking place in Iraq and Iran, I would say that history at the scale that we were accustomed to it during the, let's say, first half of the twentieth century, could start up at any moment, and we're entirely unprepared for this.

And I think what we've had is an incredible run of luck. And I think it's the most magical and marvelous thing, but I don't believe that we can count on luck forever. And in fact given some of the events of early 2020 taking place in Iraq and Iran, I would say that history at the scale that we were accustomed to it during the, let's say, first half of the twentieth century, could start up at any moment, and we're entirely unprepared for this.