Oppenheimer was a physicist and the head of the Manhattan Project that developed the first nuclear bomb. This book is a series of presentations he gave through the 1950's when he was working to establish a global cooperative means of controlling the use of nuclear weapons. It was interesting to read the perspective of the times and get a better understanding of the cold war mentality. The quote from the book that gives it the title is as follows:
"An indispensable, perhaps the indispensable, element in giving meaning to the dignity of men, and in making possible the taking of decision on the basis of honest conviction, is the openness of men's minds, and the openness of whatever media there are for communion between men, free of restraint, free of repression, and free even of that most pervasive of all restraints, that of status and hierarchy".
An interesting commentary in today's age of "news" pundits.
Published: 1955 Read: May 2014 Genre: Essay
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