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Some strange political beliefs but indeed an unparalleled genius. (He advocated for immediately nuking the USSR!) His faculty with infinite series and other mat
by Synaesthesia 6y ago
Some strange political beliefs but indeed an unparalleled genius. (He advocated for immediately nuking the USSR!) His faculty with infinite series and other mathematical tricks was rather amazing.
- yosito 6y ago> He advocated for immediately nuking the USSR! Considering the oppression that his native country experienced at the hands of the USSR, and the fact that the implications of nuking an entire country weren't really understood yet at that point, this view is hardly surprising.
- kaba0 6y agoOr that “if you don’t do it, they will”.
- orthosTD 6y agoIf you think war is inevetiable anyway it makes sense to nuke first while the otherside is still weak. Luckily the war didnt happen, but it was a reasonable possibility. So only in hindsight do these beliefs look stupid (and evil). Von Neumann also influenced the Goverment on Military Strategy and basically invented MAD. Which worked great so far.
- Ancapistani 6y agoI don’t find advocating for attacking the USSR with nuclear weapons prior to their acquisition of the same to be that strange. Consider that Bertrand Russell - the well-known and self-described pacifist - shared that view as well. To greatly simplify the concept: if you believed that total war between the USSR and the West was inevitable, attacking first while the US was the only nuclear power would substantially limit casualties and ensure that the West won.