Eighty years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and in a condition of international (dis)order in which the possibility of resorting to nuclear weapons is increasingly evoked, the writings of Morgenthau and Niebuhr offer a valuable contribution for reflecting on the moral, political, and existential implications of nuclear technology. Both remind us that technological progress is not, in itself, a guarantee of moral progress, and that, in the face of the threat of self-destruction, a responsible and pragmatic approach to international relations is essential. In many ways, their legacy—albeit in a very different context—remains relevant for understanding the dynamics of the contemporary world.
Castellin, L. G., «Quello che dobbiamo fare ora è evitare l’inferno e il disastro nucleare». Niebuhr, Morgenthau e l’età atomica, in Castellin, L. (ed.), Morte nell'era nucleare. Il realismo politico di fronte alla bomba atomica, Scholé, Brescia 2025: 3- 42 [https://hdl.handle.net/10807/317326]
«Quello che dobbiamo fare ora è evitare l’inferno e il disastro nucleare». Niebuhr, Morgenthau e l’età atomica
Castellin, Luca Gino
2025
Abstract
Eighty years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and in a condition of international (dis)order in which the possibility of resorting to nuclear weapons is increasingly evoked, the writings of Morgenthau and Niebuhr offer a valuable contribution for reflecting on the moral, political, and existential implications of nuclear technology. Both remind us that technological progress is not, in itself, a guarantee of moral progress, and that, in the face of the threat of self-destruction, a responsible and pragmatic approach to international relations is essential. In many ways, their legacy—albeit in a very different context—remains relevant for understanding the dynamics of the contemporary world.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.



