Book Reviews : Space: Its Impact on Man and Society. Edited by LILLIAN LEVY. (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1965. Pp. xv, 228. $4.50.)
| Date | 01 December 1965 |
| Published date | 01 December 1965 |
| DOI | 10.1177/106591296501800443 |
| Author | Brownlee Sands Corrin |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
932
Although
Kahn
concedes
that
the
nuclear
threshold
is
&dquo;quite
possibly
the
most
likely
to
be
observed,&dquo;
he
nevertheless
insists
that
decision-makers
-
and
the
Amer-
ican
people
-
must
be
prepared
to
engage
in
&dquo;nuclear
bargaining&dquo;
should
this
threshold
be
breached.
The
fact
that
this
threshold
has
been
crossed
does
not
neces-
sarily
mean
that
the
point
of
no
return
has
been
passed.
There
are
many
&dquo;limited&dquo;
ways
in
which
nuclear
weapons
can
be
used,
e.g.,
in
a
&dquo;demonstration&dquo;
attack
on
a
remote
and
sparsely
populated
area,
or
in
an
exemplary
attack
confined
to
military
targets
and
carried
out
in
such
a
manner
as
to
minimize
collateral
damage.
In
fact,
Kahn
even
theorizes
that
under
certain
conditions
the
use
of
nuclear
weapons
might
have
a
de-escalatory
effect
on
the
crisis.
There
are,
of
course,
many
defects
in
the
escalation
metaphor,
but
Kahn
is
aware
of
these
limitations
and
devotes
an
important
chapter
to
the
attempt
to
analyze
and
minimize
them. His
argument
is
serious
and
thoughtful
but
not
completely
con-
vincing.
The
escalation-ladder
concept
assumes
a
level
of
rationality
and
a
degree
of
stability
in
international
relations
which
the
historical
record
of
the
twentieth
cen-
tury,
at
least,
seems
to
belie.
Kahn
insists
that
man
must
live
with
what
he
has
cre-
ated
and
must,
therefore,
be
prepared
to
compete
in
&dquo;nuclear
risk-taking.&dquo;
But
the
hard
fact
remains
that
the
twentieth
century
has
seen
two
unlimited,
albeit
pre-
nuclear,
wars.
Both
of these
conflicts
were
characterized
by
frightful
immodesty
as
to
the
means
used.
In
view
of
this
experience
and
the
existential
conviction
-
which
is
a
product
of
that
experience
-
that
nothing
has
really
changed,
the
assumption
of
rationality
and
modesty
which
underlies
Kahn’s
nuclear
bargaining
metaphor
is
hardly
credible.
Nevertheless,
this
is
an
important
book
which
merits
close
reading
by
the
liberal
intellectuals
to
whom
it
is
addressed.
Herman
Kahn
has
much
of
great
value
to
say
on
this
all-important
subject
and
the
cool
and
calculating
manner
in
which
he
says
it
is
disturbing
only
because
it is
indicative
of
a
mood
and
a
level
of
intellectual
involvement
which
is
not
widely
shared.
The
book
includes
an
appendix,
&dquo;Relevant
Concepts
and
Language
for the
Discussion
of
Escalation&dquo;
which
should
be
particularly
enlightening
to
those
readers
who
are
unfamiliar
with
the
terminological
intricacies
of
nuclear
war
fighting.
State
University
College,
Oneonta,
N.Y.
HOYT
M.
JACKSON
Space:
Its
Impact
on
Man
and
Society.
Edited
by
LILLIAN
LEVY.
(New
York:
W.
W.
Norton
&
Company, 1965.
Pp.
xv,
228.
$4.50.)
The
volume
reviewed
consists
of
a
series
of short
articles
by
public
figures
and
specialists
projecting
their
views
as
to
the
challenges,
potentialities,
and
effects
of
space
technology
and
an
expanding
allocation
of
human
and
material
resources
to
space
projects.
Names
like
John
Glenn,
Nicholas
Katzenbach,
Glenn
Seaborg,
Fred
Singer
are
familiar
to
most
readers.
The
lead
article
is
a
reprint
of
views
by
Presi-
dent
Johnson.
Air
Force
Colonel
John
Stapp,
of
rocket
sled
fame,
closes
the
work
with
speculations
about
the
potential
applications
of
technological
development
for
humankind.
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