We Don't Want or Need an Arms Race

The Doomsday Clock was set at 89 seconds before midnight in January 2025. Human civilization is facing great disruptions and great peril. It is decision time for us humans.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
—Lt. Col. John McCrae [1872–1918], In Flanders Fields, Dec 8, 1915

Can humans learn to cooperate? This is not an idle question, but a necessary one, particularly in light of the threats we humans currently face. Climate Change. Nuclear War. Biological Diseases. Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)¹. Other Disruptive Technologies. Most, if not all of the possible human extinction events enumerated here are a result of human intelligence, greatly misapplied—a direct result of our collective hubris as a species.

Not every one of us prefer to think and act aggressively—such persons are a tiny minority—but they are sufficient in number who hold views that are contrary to being good and cooperative human beings and, moreover, who have the means to convince their peers and others of this dark way of viewing our society. Of normalizing violence. Who do think violence has a use. Who think the use of violence can ultimately lead to peace.

I do not agree or subscribe to such thinking, and I never will, because it is not part of my moral universe. My moral universe is populated by people who want to better our lives, who want to remove any and all perils to our lives. Not only human lives, but non-human lives, as much as is possible.

“In setting the Clock one second closer to midnight, the Science and Security Board sends a stark signal: Because the world is already perilously close to the precipice, a move of even a single second should be taken as an indication of extreme danger and an unmistakable warning that every second of delay in reversing course increases the probability of global disaster.”

—Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists,
2025 Doomsday Clock Announcement,
January 28, 2025

Take the threat of nuclear war. There is the Russia-Ukraine war, instigated by Russia on February 24, 2023 , which early on made threats of deploying nuclear weapons. This war is still continuing, and there have been hundreds of thousands of deaths of both Russians and Ukranians.² It is hard to understand the rationale guiding this war, other than Russia wanting more land, basing its aggression on some historical claims of land ownership. Whether dubious or real, does it really matter?

Then there is the recent Israel-Iran war, instigated by Israel, because it says it felt threatened by Iran’s uranium enrichment efforts. After bombing its capital of Tehran for days, Israel insisted that the U.S. use heavy bombs on a site (Fordow) deep underground, saying this will destroy any opportunity Iran has to build a nuclear weapon or weapons. Of course, America complied, on June 21, 2025, even though most Americans were against such foolish, dangerous and grave actions. Lost in such thinking is that one set of humans (in Israel) wanted another set of humans (in the U.S.) to use terribly destructive measures on another set of humans (in Iran).

Does it not sound absurd when put in this way? Even if it is true that Iran wants to build a nuclear weapon and use it against Israel—bear in mind that this conjecture has not been proven to the international community—does attacking another nation and its particular people, lead to less aggression? To peace? How is it rational to believe that you can stop an impending war by using means and weapons of mass destruction. That is, by methods of aggression and violence. Of destruction. And yet military budgets are increasing here in Canada and in Europe, bullied by the U.S. What is the purpose? Cui bono?

Besides some making more money, there is nothing good in an arms race. I will take the side of peace. I am in excellent company. There have been well-known pacifists in modern history, notably Albert Einstein, the well-known physicist. In Mein Weltbild (or "The World As I See It"³), Einstein writes:

He who joyfully marches to music rank and file, has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once. Heroism at command, how violently I hate all this, how despicable and ignoble war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be a part of so base an action. It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder.

I agree. Most high-level thinkers are against war.⁴ Great minds do think alike when it comes to war. There is a strong correlation between intellectualism and being anti-war. But you do not have to be a great thinker to be against war. You would have to think about the morality of war, to see war as a tool of aggression, violence and destruction of life. Not only human life, but also non-human life. Of animals, plants, trees, insects, of our Earth’s biodiversity.

No matter how it is put or presented, war is destruction. War’s aims are to destroy, to inflict damage. War is one major form of delusional thinking, particularly if a person subscribes to the notion that “war is peace.” At best this is a malicious lie, a manipulation of reality. To see it as so is a clear definition of insanity, of not living in the realm of reality. If humans continue on this path, we will be extinct, or as a minimum a species in serious decline. But I do not think, or perhaps it is merely wishful thinking on my part, I think that we humans will change course (and AGI will form part of the reasoning in support of it. AGI will have some benefits). I think most humans are genuinely against war; the political leaders will have to listen to the will of the people. The political leaders will have to listen to the knowledge of scientists. We will awaken from our complacency, from our slumber.

Speaking of which, I leave you with this excellent 1983 interview with Linus Pauling [1901-1994], who was not only in favour of peace, but was highly involved in the peace movement as an advocate. ⁵Pauling was awarded two Nobel Prizes—for his work in chemistry (1954) and for his working toward peace (1962).

In this 1983 interview, Nobel Laureate Linus Pauling joins U.C. Berkeley's Harry Kreisler for a discussion of the role of scientists in the peace movement

Merci et à bientôt
Lifelong Animal Lover
Born at 315 ppm
Now at 428 ppm

1. Artificial General Intelligence or AGI is a topic on its own. Briefly explained, AGI is non-human intelligence that will soon exceeds human intelligence. This is expected to happen within a few years as this technology becomes not only more present in our lives, but more powerful. The fear among some is that AGI will make humans unnecessary. Given our violent history, AGI might decide to limit humans to small numbers or wipe us out entirely.

2. Gaza War: I am not mentioning the Gaza War in the main article because it is about the possible use of nuclear weapons. This does not mean the Gaza War has not been deadly. There is so much about the Gaza War that is wrong and plainly disturbing. Wikipedia reports: “As of 25 June 2025, over 58,400 people (56,772 Palestinians^[3][7] and 1,706 Israelis^[c]) have been reported killed in the Gaza war according to the Gaza Health Ministry, as well as 180 journalists and media workers,^[d] 120 academics,^[26] and over 224 humanitarian aid workers, a number that includes 179 employees of UNRWA.^[27] Scholars have estimated 80% of Palestinians killed are civilians.^{[5][4][6][28]} A study by OHCHR, which verified fatalities from three independent sources, found that 70% of the Palestinians killed in residential buildings or similar housing were women and children.^[29][30]” The death toll in Gaza is likely higher in this war of vengeance, this war of elimination on the part of Israel. Much higher. We will not know final numbers of the dead until well after the war ends.

3. Mein Weltbild: This was originally published in “Forum and Century,” vol. 84, pp. 193-194, the thirteenth in the Forum series, Living Philosophies. It is also included in Living Philosophies (pp. 3-7), New York: Simon Schuster, 1931:

4. Anti-War & Peace Activists: The list is long and distinguished. It includes Albert Einstein, Linus Pauling, Bertrand Russell, Mahatma Gandhi, Immanuel Kant. Leo Tolstoy, Sigmund Freud, Max Born, Werner Heisenbetg, Martin Luther King, Jr., Jane Fonda, Emma Goldman, Rosa Luxemburg, Arundhati Roy, Jane Addams.

5. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: “The Bulletin’s Board of Sponsors was established in December 1948 by Albert Einstein, with J. Robert Oppenheimer as its first chair. Members of the Board of Sponsors are recruited by their peers from the world’s most accomplished science and security leaders to reinforce the importance of the Bulletin’s activities and publications. The Board grew out of the Emergency Committee of Atomic Scientists, which Einstein wrote, ‘was organized in August 1946 to support the educational activities undertaken by the various groups of atomic scientists.’ ” Linus Pauling was a member of that Emergency Committee