Joseph Rotblat quotes

I saw science as being in harmony with humanity. (Joseph Rotblat)
I did not imagine that the second half of my life would be spent on efforts to avert a mortal danger to humanity created by science. View quote
Joseph Rotblat
I have to bring to your notice a terrifying reality: with the development of nuclear weapons Man has acquired, for the first time in history, the technical means to destroy the whole of civilization in a single act. View quote
Joseph Rotblat
But scientists on both sides of the iron curtain played a very significant role in maintaining the momentum of the nuclear arms race throughout the four decades of the Cold War. View quote
Joseph Rotblat
But the first the general public learned about the discovery was the news of the destruction of Hiroshima by the atom bomb. A splendid achievement of science and technology had turned malign. Science became identified with death and destruction. View quote
Joseph Rotblat
I appeal to my fellow scientists to remember their responsibility to humanity. View quote
Joseph Rotblat
The decision to use the atom bomb on Japanese cities, and the consequent buildup of enormous nuclear arsenals, was made by governments, on the basis of political and military perceptions. View quote
Joseph Rotblat
At a time when science plays such a powerful role in the life of society, when the destiny of the whole of mankind may hinge on the results of scientific research, it is incumbent on all scientists to be fully conscious of that role, and conduct themselves accordingly. View quote
Joseph Rotblat
The cold war is over, but cold war thinking survives. View quote
Joseph Rotblat
Let me remind you that nuclear disarmament is not just an ardent desire of the people, as expressed in many resolutions of the United Nations. It is a legal commitment by the five official nuclear states, entered into when they signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty. View quote
Joseph Rotblat
Above all remember your humanity. (Joseph Rotblat)
So I ask the nuclear powers to abandon the out-of-date thinking of the Cold War period and take a fresh look. Above all, I appeal to them to bear in mind the long-term threat that nuclear weapons pose to humankind and to begin action towards their elimination. View quote
Joseph Rotblat
This is the reality of nuclear weapons: they may trigger a world war; a war which, unlike previous ones, destroys all of civilization. View quote
Joseph Rotblat
We are told that the possession of nuclear weapons - in some cases even the testing of these weapons - is essential for national security. But this argument can be made by other countries as well. View quote
Joseph Rotblat
My third appeal is to my fellow citizens in all countries: Help us to establish lasting peace in the world. View quote
Joseph Rotblat
Indeed, the very first resolution of the General Assembly of the United Nations - adopted unanimously - called for the elimination of nuclear weapons. View quote
Joseph Rotblat
The present basic philosophy is nuclear deterrence. View quote
Joseph Rotblat
All nuclear weapon states should now recognize that this is so, and declare - in Treaty form - that they will never be the first to use nuclear weapons. This would open the way to the gradual, mutual reduction of nuclear arsenals, down to zero. View quote
Joseph Rotblat
But the nuclear powers still cling tenaciously to their weapons. View quote
Joseph Rotblat
From my earliest days I had a passion for science. View quote
Joseph Rotblat
Indeed, the whole human species is endangered, by nuclear weapons or by other means of wholesale destruction which further advances in science are likely to produce. (Joseph Rotblat)
Long before the terrifying potential of the arms race was recognized, there was a widespread instinctive abhorrence of nuclear weapons, and a strong desire to get rid of them. View quote
Joseph Rotblat
Since the end of the Cold War two main nuclear powers have begun to make big reductions in their nuclear arsenals. Each of them is dismantling about 2,000 nuclear warheads a year. View quote
Joseph Rotblat
The chief task was to stop the arms race before it brought utter disaster. However, after the collapse of communism and the disintegration of the Soviet Union, any rationale for having nuclear weapons disappeared. View quote
Joseph Rotblat
Technology is driving us together. In many ways we are becoming like one family. With the global threats resulting from science and technology, the whole of humankind now needs protection. We have to extend our loyalty to the whole of the human race. View quote
Joseph Rotblat