Watch the first minute or so of the following clip on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-L2pyTn1O00&feature=fvw
"Own Story"
Question
Do you think that nuclear weapons are necessary to maintain world peace? Explain your answers.
"Expert"
Instructions
This sections has three parts. First, a listening comprehension exercise, then a research and speaking assignment, followed by a writing asignment.
Part 1
You are going to watch a recent documentary called Waging Peace. Take notes as you listen. When you have finished your teacher will put you into small groups. Each group will be assigned an equal number of questions to answer (at least one for each student, so that everyone gets a chance to speak). Each group should choose a leader who will decide which student presents which question. Once you have finished the teacher will choose a group to lead the class and review the answers to the questions (usually those students with the easiest questions are chosen to be leaders). If you couldn't get the answer don't worry, hopefully someone apart from your teacher can help you.
Skills: listening comprehension, note taking, team work, speaking before a group, giving accurate information to classmates.
Click on the link to watch the entire film:
Waging Peace
Comprehension Questions
1. Who is Joseph Rotblat?
2. When was he born?
3.When did he die?
4. Where did he come from?
5. What was his role in the Manhattan Project?
6. Why did he resign?
7. How did the Pugwash movement begin?
8. What are the objectives of the Pugwash movement?
9. What is "the corner stone" of the movement? (See the list of expressions below and paraphrase the quotation from the film)
10. What is the Russell-Einstein Manifesto?
11. Complete the following quote from the Russell-Einstein Manifesto:"___________ your humanity, and forget the rest. If you can _____ so, the way lies open to a new ___________; if you cannot, there lies before you the risk of universal ___________."
12. How did the movement acquire the name 'Pugwash'?
13. The Pugwash movement has been instrumental in the limitation of nuclear weapons. Give two examples.
14 When did the Pugwash movement and Rotblat win the Nobel Peace Prize?
15. How did the people of Oslo show their appreciation for Rotblat?
16. Why is the Pugwash movement concerned about global warming?
17. How many nuclear weapons are there in the world today?
18. How many are 'necessary'?
19. Why are nuclear weapons considered useless?
20. How does Sally Milne describe Joseph Rotblat? Give three adjectives.
21. Why did Joseph Rotblat become particularly concerned about the education of young people?
22. When Rotblat was pushing past a group of lads in the Tottenham Court Road tube station in London, they called out "Hey what's the hurry? You're an old man"
He replied, "Don't you see? It's because....................................................................................."
a) Complete Rotblat's reply.
b) His reply is witty. Explain why it is funny.
c) What does his reply reveal about how he regarded his work.
Expressions
Try to explain the following highlighted words and expressions used in the film. If you can't do this from the context use an online dictionary to help you. Try the Merriam-Webster dictionary: http://www.merriam-webster.com/.
23. The corner stone of the Pugwash movement is that, "As long as nuclear weapons exist they will one day be used."
24. Pugwash has no political ax to grind. ('ax' = US spelling '; axe' = UK spelling)
25. Students will be the torchbearers of the Pugwash movement
26. Rotblat pushed passed a group of lads.
27. Rotblat is a great role model for young people.
Listening Comprehension Answers
"Critique"
IN groups of 2-3 decide whether you think Pugwash is right in their condemnation of nuclear weapons. Justify your answers. Present them to the rest of the class. When you have finished you may proceed to Part 2 if there is time. If not go directly to Evaluation.
Part 2
Writing Exercise
Instructions
Individually answer the following questions in the form of a written comment. Be as honest and frank as you can.
1) Read the following extract from the writings of Joseph Rotblat. Here he gives three reasons why his colleagues did not resign from the Manhattan Project after Germany had been defeated.
"The most frequent reason given was pure and simple curiosity - the strong urge to find out whether the theoretical calculations and predictions would come true....
Others were prepared to put the matter off even longer, persuaded by the arguments that many Amercian lives would be saved if the bomb brought a rapid end to the war with Japan. Only when peace was restored would they take in hand to ensure that the bomb would not be used again.
Still others, while agreeing that the project should have been stopped when the German factor ceased to operate , were not willing to take an individual stand because they feared it would adversely affect their future career."
a) Put yourself in the shoes of a scientist on this project. What would you have done? Would you have given up the project? Complete the sentence "If I had been one of Rotblat's colleagues I would (not) have + past participle ....because....
b) Of the three reasons given by the scientists which one do you think was for them
the strongest? Explain your answer.
2) If nuclear weapons are considered "useless" and should be deemed immoral and illegal, why have they proliferated?
"Evaluation"
Without talking to your neighbour write a few words describing what you have learnt; in other words, have your opinons changed or have they been confirmed? Submit your comment as comment to this post.
Part 3 Speaking. In groups of 2-3 students research ONE of the following topics. Be prepared to speak about in class.
3) Using the internet find out what Student Pugwash USA (SPUSA) is. How did it begin? What are its objectives and what does it do? What are Student Pugwash chapters?
4) What about Student Pugwash France?
5) What is Come Clean? Discuss their work in making the world aware of WMD.
Some helpful links
Come Clean WMD Awarenes Programme
Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs
Student Pugwash USA
References
Come Clean WMD Awareness Programme, Citizenship Education: Professor Sir Joseph Rotblat FRS pp60-62
© All Copyright, 2007, Ray Genet
19 comments:
If I had been one of Rotblat's colleagues I would not have resigned because I think it is not a solution: the project would continue without me. But, I could try to control the progress of the project and also I could show the dangers to my collegueas, the govrenment...
I think the strongest reason is protecting their careers. In fact, the scientists need laboratory, money to their research. They are afraid after the resignation, the government, or companies can refuse to work with them. They don't want to stop their job. The science is a passion, they cannot sacrifice it especially since they don't know if their resignation would be efficient and would save lifes.
The nuclear weapons are proliferated because the countries are convinced they need have nuclear weapons. In fact, they think the others countries don't attack them because they are afraid of a nuclear attack in return. In nowdays, the power of a country depends on the number of nuclear weapons.
Nuclear weapons are deemed immoral and illegal, but are still deterrent weapons.
The bottom line is the fact that such a scourge is now expanding all over the world and the threat of terrorism worsen the issue.
Hello,
First, I thought that I give up with the Manhatan project. But, in a second time, if a lot of scientist did not want to give, it is because the question was not as easy as it seemed to be.
So I think it's very difficult to say it today because world changed and the situation is very different today.
But there are some reason gave by scientist that I can't understand. For exemple, the career. For me, scientist have to know that their acts could have great consequence and that a career is nothing in front of Hiroshima.
The fact that american lives will be saved is also a bad reason because the atomic bomb can not avoid terrorsm!
Still the question of curiosity.
In every scientific formation, there is a great place to experience, and experience is very deep in our minds. But I am hopefull because now, we can replace experience by computing simulation.
I think that nuclear weapon proliferated because other countries were affraid. So they wanted to be as powerfull as USA.
If I would had been one of Rotbalt 's colleagues, I would have done a lot of nightmares... At first, i would have thought my career was more important and i would have to protect my family, the American lifes. But i would have given up the project because i wouldn't have been able to support the responsability for this death invention. I think i would fallow the Rotblat's initiative, i wouldn't have been alone...
It's easy to tell this now, the situation changed...
I think the strongest reason was to save American lifes. Scientists are miserly and curious at the same time, I admit that the both arguments are understandable but it's not enougth.
They were in war and everybody had partriotic behaviour. The most important was to protect their family and their neighbours.
Even if we know the danger of nuclear weapons, the proliferation is going on... Every countries want to use it in order to protect itself if others countries want to attack: nuclear weapons are weapons of dissuading...
If I had been one of Rotblat's colleagues I would have continued to take part of the project. Even if Germany had been defeated, I think it would have been difficult for a scientist who had worked a lot on the project to stop his participation. And I would have thought that even if I resigned other scientist would have continued without me.
Concerning the strongest reason given by the scientists, I think it was curiosity. I think one of the quality of a scientist is to be curious. And it was a chance to participate at the discovery of nuclear power. Unfortunately it is after a discovery that you are able to see if it is a good or a bad thing. But it is very regrettable that some scientists had put their career as an argument to continue the project because this type of reaction show one of the weakness of human beings.
If nuclear weapon proliferated it is because when the world saw the effect of the bomb with Hiroshima and Nagasaki, they discovered the power able to prevent of being attacked. Since this moment every country has tried to develop the bomb. But nowadays some countries may have the nuclear bomb and we have to hope that they won't use it.
Hello,
First, I think that I wouldn't particitape to this project. So, if I had been one of Rotblat's colleagues I would have let this project without any humanity without end. Knowing what can do a atomic bomb, there isn't any way to continue this. But I'm only talking living now and we can't know how it was forty years ago, the context was different from today.
To my mind, the only true reason for what I would have continued this project was for satisfying my curiosity. The question of the security of the American people is important, and the lives of American is more precious than any other... Moreover, the fact that the bomb was dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki showed that it's not only for prevention but to attack too and we can say that this reason was just a lie. The third reason, concerning the career, I think that it's only a joke, nobody can say any something like that being serious ...
To my mind, I think that if nuclear weapons are so developed today in many countries that's because of the fear to lose what we believe having. This phenomenon can be seeing today with the American crisis, everybody is afraid and instead that being united, everybody only think to themselves, without being worried about the impact of their facts.
I don't think to resign is the solution to stop the project. It would be best to try to convince the government to stop the project because I'm a scientist and I know better than them the terrible effect to use this bomb. Or if I resign, I had to be sure that all the team will be resign also. If they don't, it's useless I think.
I think the strongest reason is protecting their job and their careers. Most of humans think about protect their careers and are ready to do evything to protect it. So, I think even if they disagree with the idea of the government, they won't become rebellious just for an humanity reason.
I don't think the nuclear weapons are useless. Yes, it's true in peace period, it's useless but if you are a terrorist, you can take in hostage a population because you have nuclear weapon and you can destroy a country vey easily. It's a good way to put pressure on a government to liberate the boss of a terrorist organization for example...so that's the reason why they proliferated: in order to have power.
If I would had been one of Rotbalt 's colleagues, I wouldn't have resign because it would have change nothing.
Indeed, Americans scientists wasn't the only people on the study of nuclear weapons, there was the russians too , and they were on a war situation. That's why, in order to protect mi country and to be patriotic i wouldn't have resigned.
Anyway, some others people would have work on it, so why not me?
It's a way to protect your carreer too. But the real problem come from people who want to use nuclear and nuclear weapons, Scientists just want the scientific side of the nuclear: the knoledge.
Nuclear weapons are proliferating because everybody think that it's a dissuative weapon, so that they won't be attacked by others because they have this weapon and if they use it it could be a disaster.
Then some country want this weapon to have some influences on the others and it have lead us to a run to weapons. ANd now , there are enouth nuclear weapons on the earth to destrut it totaly........
if I had been one of Roblat's collegues, I would have resigned.There is no denying that many people think differently. but from the moment that a big project would be applied and experimented on human being, it seems completely insensible to put others'lives in danger.Perhaps if it hadn't really been a project linked to military reasons, I would have continued my researchs with the group and I would have devoted myself to a peaceful project which allows to exploit the high energy of the atoms.Besides, I think that after the event of Hirochima and Nakasaki, even those scientists have regretted to have accepted such a project after seeing one of the most cruel event that humanity had ever seen.So, there's no way to seek for pretexts.
According to me, Saving american lives is the weakest reason: In fact, the battlefield of the second world war was Europe and not really america. Instead, the reason should be perhaps to stop the war .Perhaps after the Pearl Harbor incident, it was clear that Japan should be neutralized. Dropping the bomb was then the result of a non-mesured order. We can consider Curiosity the most reasonnable reason : every scientist was trying to quench his thirst of curiosity and was trying to see the result of his life-project.However, History is merciless.
Nowadays, nuclear weapons are proliferated and start to threaten human being.But, I think It would be difficult to drive countries to destroy their stocks of mass destruction weapons because there is not effective laws that prevent countries from developping its own nuclear weapons.
Sometimes, it seems difficult to solve simple conflicts between countries, but how can we say about a confict where you can't know what are your actual ennemies: "the organized terrorism"
If I had been one of Rotblat’s colleagues, I would have resign to the Manhattan Project because I think that a scientist must be neutral. Scientific researches do not have to use for war but for peace. A scientific project cannot participate in human destruction and must be independent of politics and conflicts.
In my view the strongest reason give by the scientists is the fact that scientist are afraid that their future career is affected by their decision. This reason explains by the fact that the scientists need money for their research and these monetary funds come from politics. So scientists need to politics to subsidize their research.
Nuclear weapons have proliferated because rich countries want to keep their influence in view of the economical expansion of some poor countries.
Sophie P.
If I had been one of the Rotblat’s colleagues I think I would have resigned in the project. At that time, being a scientist in such important project was a chance to seize. It was the first time that such a project has been leaded.
I think that the first reason for scientists to stay in this kind of project is to protect their career. As I said before, it was a great opportunity to take part to this project. It could give financial and familial security, during the war, it is very important!
Nuclear weapons have proliferated because of privates interests probably and also in the name of science…
If I had been one of Rotblat's colleagues I don't know what I would have done because it is quite difficult to put himself in the context of somebody who lived half a century before you: I know so many things about nuclear weapons than a scientist of the Manhattan Project couldn’t know. The Cold War taught us how dangerous could be nuclear weapons.
Anyway, I would certainly prefer to think that I would have resigned, as did Joseph Rotblat: it was the more courageous behaviour. But I cannot know if I would have been far-sighted enough, as was Rotblat, to actually do it.
If I had been one of Rotblat's colleagues I wouldn't have resigned from the project fearing for my career and my personal image. However I would have explained my concerns to my colleagues.
To my mind, the scientists mainly stayed on the project to satisfy their curiosity : they wanted to check their theory thru experiments, maybe for their knewlegde and because they may have worked many years on this project.
Nuclear weapons have proliferated because every country wanted to prove to others that they could defend themselves, it was a disuasive weapon. Furthermore, it was a sure way for a country to protect itself from attacks.
If I had been one of Rotblat's colleagues I would have stopred the research on the atomic bomb because when Germany has abonded, there wasn’t a big danger and the scientists knew that if we used the atomic bomb, there were many deads.
But an other side, I would have continued because when we start a research, we would know if our creation work.
I think the strongest reason is the theoretical calculations and predictions would come true because a scientist wants always know if this results are good and experiment full scale.
The nuclear weapons are proliferated because at this moment, it was the Cold War, and everybody are affraid neighbourg country so there was the weapon race.
If i had been one of Rotbat's collegue, i would not have given up the project I think, because It's difficult to be against others, to consider the situation with enought detachement to say "no", but it have to be one part of our job.
For me, the strongest reason is the third because I think when people who manage you and who payed you, want you to do something, it seems to be difficult to say no against all, because you know that they can permit you to continue your job.
Nuclear weapons have proliferated because of the cold war of course (it was important to not let others countries more powerfull than you). And now, maybe countries don't want that countries which have A bomb have more political and millitar power than them.
If I had been one of Rotblat's colleagues I would not have left the project because a simple isolated scientist leaving such a project brings absolutely nothing. But the main reason would be for curiosity, i would have wanted to keep an eye on the project's evolution into following its consequences on the world.
I believe that the strongest reason for the scientists to go on the project is for avoiding abandoning their career. Firstly i do not think that a scientist is really interested in what happens outside his Lab, the culmination of his work provides a better satisfaction. Although curiosity is a big part of a scientist, i believe that they really fear to abort their career, the best important thing for a scientist.
The nuclear weapons are still proliferated because they bring to his owner a feeling of power, which is likely to dissuade enemy to attack. The politic strong of a country seems to be provided by nuclear weapons. i just hope nobody push the button which will probably destruct the planet...
Hello everybody,
This films is very upsetting... Indeed we can see what is the purpose of our humanity... ! For some people it's the peace (like Mr Joseph Rotblat and the Pugwash movement) and for others it's the conflict and the war... To Believe that we can not live together on this earth without fears and without terror !
This film show that weapons call weapons, it's the phenomenon of speculation...
If you have fears about an "enemy", you make weapons. Your "enemy" knows that you make weapons, consequently he will make weapons ! What is the end of this phenomenon ? Which persons have rights to be policemen of the world ? This film try to inform people about a real facts which happened around us... We must take aware of the dangerousness of this nuclear weapons. That happened in 1945 (Hiroshima and Nagasaki) but it isn't out of talk today... I think that lots of students must see this video. It's very interesting.
If I had been one of Rotblat's colleagues, I would not have give up the project, because I think that nuclear is a good solution to find energies against global warning or extraction of oil or coal
The strongest reason is for me the research can save many American they think only for the
present and not for the future, and even they killed many Japanese. So it’s very immoral to think like that
For the western countries, nuclear weapons are only a dissuasion of weapons. But for the other country, or different groups (as terrorist groups for example), nuclear weapons is a power, and if the have this weapon, the world would hear the demand of they, so, nuclear weapons have a power to change the weight of negotiation as example China, because, we don’t attack a country which has nuclear weapons because the answer will be potentially to dangerous.
If I had been one of Rotblat's colleagues, I would not have resigned because I would have had a contract. It's very difficult to say "no" at your employer ! And when your are very close to discover a thing that everybody had never find out, your motivation is extremely high... Moreover if I had been in a team, I would have not deceived your partners. Indeed in a team your partners rely on you... (team spirit like sport !).
I think the strongest reason is to end the awful World War II... They must have been very clever and cultivated. Scientists are curious and strange at the same time.
They were surely a patriotic behavior. The most important for the American people was to protect their family and their neighbors .
I think the nuclear weapon are proliferated because of the phenomenon of speculation... If you have fears about an "enemy", you make weapons. Your "enemy" knows that you make weapons, consequently he will make weapons ! What is the end of this phenomenon ? Fortunately we have people like Mr Joseph Rotblat...
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