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That's know as MAD and only works when your enemy's button pusher is a sane individual. There is less and less confidence that Putin sane.

by junon 5y ago

croes 5y ago
It works best if both are insane but fear death. A reasonable actor wouldn't counter attack a first strike because annihilation of mankind is not an option.
- jakear 5y ago
  Not entirely factious: why not? Life would go on. Not human life sure, but it’s not like we’re the ultimate shepherds of the planet and it would be a valueless rock without us. If the options are: yield the planet over to some nuclear hardened species to chill out and recover for a few hundred thousand years while other novel (radiation hardened) lifeforms develop, or yield the planet over to the people who have demonstrated willingness to absolutely obliterate their enemies and will likely continue initiating mass extinction events far into the future… I certainly don’t think one option is 100% off the table. Interestingly, those radiation hardened life forms might actually be better suited to be earth-seed than us — space is an unfriendly environment for human kind, making us ill suited to be the planet’s intergalactic ambassadors. (Now I want to read some sci fi book where it turns out all the intergalactic species come from planets where the original intelligent inhabitants blew themselves to smithereens and created a nuclear winter, causing the next intelligence to develop a deep rooted desire for world peace and scientific exploration…)
- staticman2 5y ago
  We're all going to die someday so I would certainly be fine with shooting back. If you are christian you believe mankind lives on in a happy afterlife event, nobody really dies. So no biggie if you shoot back. If you are atheist, it's not clear why you should care about the continued existence of a species evil enough to murder your friends and family. Seeking justice for them makes more sense. At any rate it's not reasonable for an atheist to believe our species would live forever. We were going to eventually die anyway.
  - archagon 5y ago
    The afterlife is meaningless if the decision makers are damned with the murder of billions. And justice is meaningless if no one is left.
    - staticman2 5y ago
      Religious people don't tend to be against war, historically. One general famously said "Kill them all and let God sort it out." The idea that God has knowable opinions against MAD policy seems a bit of a stretch. People find meaning when they are alive. The person firing the missle- being alive- has as much as anyone else.
gibolt 5y ago
RealLifeLore has a great video on why Russia is initiating these attacks. Worth a watch: https://youtu.be/If61baWF4GE https://youtu.be/If61baWF4GE

That's know as MAD and only works when your enemy's button pusher is a sane individual. There is less and less confidence that Putin sane.

by junon 5y ago

That's know as MAD and only works when your enemy's button pusher is a sane individual. There is less and less confidence that Putin sane.

croes 5y ago

It works best if both are insane but fear death. A reasonable actor wouldn't counter attack a first strike because annihilation of mankind is not an option.

jakear 5y ago
Not entirely factious: why not? Life would go on. Not human life sure, but it’s not like we’re the ultimate shepherds of the planet and it would be a valueless rock without us. If the options are: yield the planet over to some nuclear hardened species to chill out and recover for a few hundred thousand years while other novel (radiation hardened) lifeforms develop, or yield the planet over to the people who have demonstrated willingness to absolutely obliterate their enemies and will likely continue initiating mass extinction events far into the future… I certainly don’t think one option is 100% off the table. Interestingly, those radiation hardened life forms might actually be better suited to be earth-seed than us — space is an unfriendly environment for human kind, making us ill suited to be the planet’s intergalactic ambassadors. (Now I want to read some sci fi book where it turns out all the intergalactic species come from planets where the original intelligent inhabitants blew themselves to smithereens and created a nuclear winter, causing the next intelligence to develop a deep rooted desire for world peace and scientific exploration…)
staticman2 5y ago
We're all going to die someday so I would certainly be fine with shooting back. If you are christian you believe mankind lives on in a happy afterlife event, nobody really dies. So no biggie if you shoot back. If you are atheist, it's not clear why you should care about the continued existence of a species evil enough to murder your friends and family. Seeking justice for them makes more sense. At any rate it's not reasonable for an atheist to believe our species would live forever. We were going to eventually die anyway.
- archagon 5y ago
  The afterlife is meaningless if the decision makers are damned with the murder of billions. And justice is meaningless if no one is left.
  - staticman2 5y ago
    Religious people don't tend to be against war, historically. One general famously said "Kill them all and let God sort it out." The idea that God has knowable opinions against MAD policy seems a bit of a stretch. People find meaning when they are alive. The person firing the missle- being alive- has as much as anyone else.

gibolt 5y ago

RealLifeLore has a great video on why Russia is initiating these attacks. Worth a watch: https://youtu.be/If61baWF4GE https://youtu.be/If61baWF4GE