Global Journal of Science Frontier Research, H: Environment & Earth Science, Volume 22 Issue 5

Kahn (2007) argues that total nuclear disarmament is not possible: “even if all nations one day agree on total nuclear disarmament, it must be assumed that there would be the concealment of some weapons or nuclear components (as protection against the other side)” – and an international arrangement to prohibit war through disarmament would not be effective (KAHN, 2007). The initial idea of thermonuclear war is wild and destructive for the parties involved, antagonistically however Kahn (2007) cites that some can be conceive it by a convincingly reasonable bias – “depending on the course of military events, it could be an unprecedented catastrophe for the attacker and also for some neutrals, or not” (KAHN, 2007). Despite the hysteria and social fear about the consequences of a thermonuclear war, according to Kahn (2007), a catastrophe can be “quite catastrophic without being total” – “few would call it a “total catastrophe” if all survivors of a thermonuclear war lost few years of life expectancy” (KAHN, 2007). Also, according to the author, a catastrophe (even if it is “unprecedented”) would still not be an “unlimited” catastrophe – “the limits of the magnitude of the catastrophe seem to be intimately dependent on what kinds of preparations were made and how the war was conducted” (KAHN, 2007): from this perspective, the author considers it entirely possible to estimate the limits and consequences of thermonuclear war; he even shows some optimism about the a posteriori scenario – what exists “is an enormous psychological difficulty in dealing with the concept of thermonuclear war as a disaster that can be experienced and recovered” (KAHN, 2007). From questions (followed by his immediate answers), Kahn (2007) makes a distinction between the “possible degrees of horror” of the many post- thermonuclear war states, examining their effects – as follows: a) “survivors will envy the dead ? [...] The world may be permanently (that is, for perhaps 10,000 years) more hostile to human life” (KAHN, 2007); b) “Can we restore pre-war living conditions? [...] No!" (KAHN, 2007); c) “how happy or normal lives can survivors and their descendants expect to have?” (KAHN, 2007) – “Objective studies indicate that while the amount of human tragedy would greatly increase in the post-war world, the increase would not prevent normal and happy lives for most survivors and their descendants” (KAHN, 2007). Regarding the last proposition, there was no better citation (about which “objective studies” the author referred to). The analysis performed by Kahn (2007) for the “complete description” of a thermonuclear war included: a) several programs in phases of deterrence and defense and their possible impacts; b) wartime performance, with different pre-attack and attack conditions; c) problems with acute precipitation; d) survival and restoration; e) maintenance of economic dynamism; f) long-term recovery; g) post-war medical problems; and, h) genetic problems. However the post war environmental issue was not glimpsed in Kahn, mainly from a systemic, holistic, and ecological perspective (2007). For Capra (1982), the threat of nuclear war is the greatest danger that humanity can face; since atomic weapons increase the probability of “global destruction.” The lethal stock of nuclear weapons, and the endless arms race, in addition to other issues (such as contamination by a wide variety of chemical products), are some of the examples of threats to "ecological systems on which our existence depends" – modern physics understands that the development of such questions occurs in a systemic, interconnected, interdependent, and uncertain way (CAPRA, 1982; CAPRA, 1983). Capra (1982) cites that at the end of the 20th century scientific investigation from the “exploration of the atomic and subatomic world” (submicroscopic) revealed the “limitation of classical scientific ideas” – the change of perspective led, therefore, to the “radical revision of innumerable basic concepts” – there was a profound change in the view of the world concerning the physical universe: from the mechanistic conception of Descartes and Newton (intimately linked to a rigorous determinism) to a holistic and ecological vision (which understands reality in terms of totalities integrated) (CAPRA, 1982; CAPRA, 1983). “The natural world, in turn, is composed of infinite varieties and complexities; it is, in fact, a multidimensional world, where there are no straight lines or entirely regular shapes, where things do not occur in sequence, but concomitantly; a world where — as modern physics informs us — even empty space is curved” (CAPRA, 1983). Bertuglia and Vaio (2005) identify the various stages in the historical evolution of scientific thought, from the confident certainties typical of the mechanistic or reductionist view (whose roots are in Cartesian philosophy) to the progressive recognition of intrinsic difficulties (TABLE 01): © 2022 Global Journals 1 Global Journal of Science Frontier Research Volume XXII Issue V Year 2022 18 ( H ) Version I Autonomous Technology in Scenario by Rare Geophysical Processes (Underwater Focus)