Nuclear Weapons and the Responsibility of Scientists: A Conversation with Carlo Rovelli

Abstract: Acclaimed theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli will discuss his new book, “85 Seconds to Midnight: A Physicist’s Argument Against Rearmament”, a reflection on the role of physicists and their collective bad conscience in creating the “poisoned gift” of nuclear weapons. Rovelli makes references to the work of Enrico Fermi, Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg and other scientists who helped create what he calls “the worst weapon of mass destruction,” examining how the atomic bomb came to be, what we know about nuclear risks posed by powers great and small, and the renewed arms race underway today. Because different futures remain possible, Rovelli argues that physicists must reckon with their responsibility and work to halt the current race toward war. Rovelli will be in conversation with Coalition co-founder Zia Mian of Princeton University’s Program on Science and Global Security.