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It's easy in hindsight to judge them, but you benefit from the knowledge they gained from experimentation. Radiation and the effects of background radiation was
by jorblumesea 7y ago
It's easy in hindsight to judge them, but you benefit from the knowledge they gained from experimentation. Radiation and the effects of background radiation was poorly understood. While no one contested the destructive impact of the bomb themselves, it was unclear what long term impacts, if any, might result.
Also around this time, soldiers were exposed to direct nuclear explosions, handling nuclear material with incorrect safety procedures, and all sorts of behavior we would consider to be insane.
To make a modern day comparison, future generations will surely judge us for our inaction on climate change or heavy use of PFAS and types of plastics.
- ericd 7y agoAlso, human life probably seemed relatively cheap, after a war where 10s of millions had just died and civilian targets had been firebombed. They probably just didn't get as worked up over threats that might kill someone in a few decades, when they had become used to the prospect of being killed at any moment.
- falsedan 7y agoYou don't need hindsight, they were tickling the dragon's tail in Los Alamos right before Crossroads and physicist were dying. The experiments were less motivated by scientific enquiry and more rushed macho posturing to show the USSR they mean business