logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2020
1h 46m

#210 — The Logic of Doomsday

SAM HARRIS
About this episode

Sam Harris speaks with William J. Perry and Lisa Perry about the ever-present threat of nuclear war. They discuss the history of nuclear weapons, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the present threat of accidental nuclear war, nuclear terrorism, unilateral disarmament, the psychology of deterrence, tactical nuclear weapons, cybersecurity, details of command and control, nuclear proliferation, the steps we could take toward safety, strategic missile defense, nuclear winter, and other topics.

If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe.

Up next
Jul 8
#423 — “More From Sam”: Democracy, Populism, Wealth Inequality, News-Induced Anxiety, & Rapid Fire Questions
In this latest episode of the “More From Sam” series, Sam and Jaron talk about current events and answer some of the questions you all submitted on Substack. They discuss Epstein’s “client list,” how to safeguard democracy, populism, wealth inequality, the allure of socialism, ho ... Show More
19m 28s
Jun 19
#422 — Zionism & Jihadism
Sam Harris speaks with Haviv Rettig Gur about Israel and her enemies. They discuss Israel’s war with Iran and America’s role in the conflict, Israel’s military capabilities, Iran’s nuclear program, what a ground invasion of Iran could look like, how Iranians view the regime, anti ... Show More
2h 4m
Jun 17
#421 — “More From Sam”: Political Violence, Iran, Deportations, Protests, & Rapid Fire Questions
In this latest episode of the “More From Sam” series, Sam hopped back on with his manager and business partner, Jaron Lowenstein, to talk about current events and answer some of the questions you all submitted on Substack. They discuss the assassination of Minnesota state represe ... Show More
17m 58s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2022
Nuclear War 101
On this episode of Cyber we talk about an old technology that suddenly feels very new. The bomb. That’s right, this episode is all about nuclear weapons. Thanks to Moscow’s war in Ukraine and Putin’s implicit and explicit threats to use them should Russian territory be threatened ... Show More
49m 1s
Oct 2022
Babbage: What are tactical nuclear weapons?
The war in Ukraine has raised the nuclear threat to its highest level since the Cuban missile crisis. What types of nuclear weapons could be used in Ukraine, and how much damage could they do?  Cheryl Rofer, a former nuclear scientist at America’s Los Alamos National Laboratory, ... Show More
36m 50s
Apr 2018
Nuclear War... Total Annihilation?
Nine countries, including North Korea, have nuclear weapons. What would happen if a nuclear bomb was dropped-- say, in New York City? We talk to nuclear historian Dr. Alex Wellerstein, nuclear engineer Dr. Tetsuji Imanaka, and epidemiologist Dr. Eric Grant. UPDATE 04/27: We've ad ... Show More
37m 4s
Nov 2019
3 questions we should ask about nuclear weapons | Emma Belcher
There are more than 10,000 nuclear weapons in existence today, each one capable of causing immense destruction. Why don't we talk about this threat as much as some other major issues? In this practical talk, nuclear security expert Emma Belcher shares three questions you can ask ... Show More
12m 58s
Feb 2019
Podcast: Drawing from Nuclear History to Understand Today's Challenges
Date of publication: 12/02/2019 Description: Researchers and students of war and global security often look to the past to better understand developments in the present. So, how might the history of Nuclear weapons help us understand today’s security challenges?   The advent of n ... Show More
39m 34s
Jan 2018
The Cold War - Nuclear Fear | 3
What is the United States to do when direct conflict with the Soviet Union promises almost certain annihilation? They turned to proxy wars and psychological warfare with the threat of nuclear weapons keeping both countries in check. Ever wondered how an atom bomb works? We’ll cov ... Show More
41m 56s
Jun 2022
Checks and Balance: Breaking nukes
Since America dropped the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, a fragile balance of deterrence, treaties, fear and taboo has stopped the world’s nuclear powers from deploying their arsenals in anger. But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has ushered in a new nuclear era. How should ... Show More
48m 56s
Aug 2023
The perpetual nuclear arms race
The world is talking about the film, Oppenheimer. What does it tell us about the perpetual nuclear arms race. It's easy to take for granted that the US dropped an atom bomb on Japan in August 1945.  It shifted forever, the global weapons landscape - and still does today. In this ... Show More
19m 39s
Jul 2023
CultureLab: Oppenheimer – The rise and fall of the “father of the atomic bomb”
First J. Robert Oppenheimer created the weapon, then he fought for years to warn of its dangers. During the second world war, the so-called “father of the atomic bomb”, led a team of scientists in the US in a race against Nazi Germany to create the first nuclear weapon. Then it w ... Show More
28m 52s
Mar 2022
As war in Ukraine rages, assessing the nuclear risk
A nuclear war cannot be won and should never be fought,” warned NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg last Wednesday. It’s a prospect that many in Canada haven’t had to consider since the end of the Cold War, but experts say the risk hasn't disappeared. A few weeks ago, Front B ... Show More
26m 29s