Discover
/
Article

The Nuclear Freeze: The freeze—deep or shallow?

JAN 01, 1983
The freeze proposals are misdirected and will not help do what needs to be done to prevent nuclear war
Harold W. Lewis

The trouble with trite and banal sayings is that they are sometimes painfully to the point. In the case of the freeze, the observation that comes to mind is that to every complex problem there exists a solution that is simple, appealing, and wrong. Wrong may be too strong a term for the freeze proposal—it is wrong only in the sense that it is wrong to give laetrile to a cancer patient. In both cases there is little intrinsic harm done, unless the patient really believes the treatment will contribute to the cure of his disease, and thereby substitutes wishful thinking for therapy.

This article is only available in PDF format

More about the authors

Harold W. Lewis, University of California, Santa Barbara.

Related content
/
Article
The ability to communicate a key message clearly and concisely to a nonspecialized audience is a critical skill to develop at all educational levels.
/
Article
With strong magnetic fields and intense lasers or pulsed electric currents, physicists can reconstruct the conditions inside astrophysical objects and create nuclear-fusion reactors.
/
Article
A crude device for quantification shows how diverse aspects of distantly related organisms reflect the interplay of the same underlying physical factors.
/
Article
Events held around the world have recognized the past, present, and future of quantum science and technology.

Get PT in your inbox

pt_newsletter_card_blue.png
PT The Week in Physics

A collection of PT's content from the previous week delivered every Monday.

pt_newsletter_card_darkblue.png
PT New Issue Alert

Be notified about the new issue with links to highlights and the full TOC.

pt_newsletter_card_pink.png
PT Webinars & White Papers

The latest webinars, white papers and other informational resources.

By signing up you agree to allow AIP to send you email newsletters. You further agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.