Thou shalt not drop an atom bomb or even shit one out in the first place - I'm talking to you, Robert Oppenheimer.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- A sharp rebuke to Oppenheimer for creating the atomic bomb, suggesting he should not have developed it at all.
- In plain terms
- You should never have made the atomic bomb.
- What can you take from it?
- Scientific innovation carries moral responsibility for its consequences.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What obligations do scientists have regarding how their discoveries are used?
- Can invention ever be separated from its application?
Another view
It reduces a complex historical decision to a personal moral failing.
More from William S. Burroughs
Thou shalt not blow pot-smoke into the face of my pet. Say's whom who want's to get high.
Permalink to quote #50 'Treatment is symptomatic' - which means in the trade there is none.
Permalink to quote #52 Thou shalt not be such a shit, you don't know you are one.
Permalink to quote #49
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