Table Of Content

THE WORLDS OF HERMAN KAHN THE WORLDS OF HERMAN KAHN T h e I n t u i t i ve S c i e n c e o f T h e r m o n u c l e a r Wa r Sharon Ghamari-Tabrizi HARVARDUNIVERSITYPRESS Cambridge,Massachusetts London,England 2005 Copyright©2005bythePresidentandFellowsofHarvardCollege Allrightsreserved PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData Ghamari-Tabrizi,Sharon,1960– TheworldsofHermanKahn:theintuitivescienceofthermonuclearwar / SharonGhamari-Tabrizi. p. cm. Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex. ISBN0-674-01714-5 1.Nuclearwarfare—Philosophy. 2.Kahn,Herman,1922– I.Title. U263.G492005 355.02(cid:1)17(cid:1)01—dc22 2004059697 Contents Prologue:AMatterofFaith 1 1: HowManyKahnsCanThereBe? 10 2: TheColdWarAvant-GardeatRAND 46 3: TheRealDr.Strangelove 61 4: AnOperationalbutUndetectedCapability 83 5: HowtoBuildaWorldwithArtfulIntuition 124 6: FaithandInsightinWar-Gaming 149 7: TheMineshaftGap 181 8: OnThermonuclearWar 203 9: ComedyoftheUnspeakable 236 10: MassMurderortheSpiritofHumanism? 281 Epilogue:AComicPhilosophy 310 Abbreviations 319 Notes 321 Acknowledgments 371 Index 375 THE WORLDS OF HERMAN KAHN Prologue:A Matter of Faith Iwouldnotsaythatthefutureisnecessarilylesspredict- ablethanthepast.Ithinkthepastwasnotpredictable whenitstarted. donald rumsfeld,2004 On June 6, 2002, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld boggled the world with assurances that Saddam Hussein had weapons of massdestructionandintendedtosharethemwithAlQaeda.“There arethingsweknow...weknow,”heremarkednonchalantly.“There are known unknowns,things . . .we now know we don’t know.But therearealsounknownunknowns...thingswedon’tknowwedon’t know.” The problem for national security was always the unknown unknowns.How can you defend against No Discernible Thing? He struggledtoexpressthispithily.“Theabsenceofevidenceisnotevi- dence of absence.It is basically saying the same thing in a different way.Simplybecauseyoudonothaveevidencethatsomethingexists doesnotmeanthatyouhaveevidencethatitdoesn’texist.”Theidea isticklish,socrypticandslyitcouldbeaSufiteachingfromMullah Nasruddin.Howdoweinterpretthisbananapeel,Rumsfeld’sriddle ofthreatassessment?1 It wasn’t the first time that a high official proposed that Nothing must be reckoned as the indefinite Something of threat, unless it could be conclusively proven to be nothing at all. During the cold war the United States Air Force, believing forces “under conceal- ment,”ICBMs“nowoperationalbutundetected,”insistedthatwhat

Description:
Herman Kahn was the only nuclear strategist in America who might have made a living as a standup comedian. Indeed, galumphing around stages across the country, joking his way through one grotesque thermonuclear scenario after another, he came frighteningly close. In telling the story of Herman Kahn,
ebook img

The Worlds of Herman Kahn: The Intuitive Science of Thermonuclear War PDF

428 Pages·2005·1.36 MB·English
by  Sharon Ghamari-Tabrizi
Save to my drive
Quick download
Download
Upgrade Premium
Most books are stored in the elastic cloud where traffic is expensive. For this reason, we have a limit on daily download.

Download The Worlds of Herman Kahn: The Intuitive Science of Thermonuclear War PDF Free - Full Version

by Sharon Ghamari-Tabrizi| 2005| 428 pages| 1.36| English

Download The Worlds of Herman Kahn: The Intuitive Science of Thermonuclear War by Sharon Ghamari-Tabrizi in PDF format completely FREE. No registration required, no payment needed. Get instant access to this valuable resource on PDFdrive.to!

Free Download PDF

About The Worlds of Herman Kahn: The Intuitive Science of Thermonuclear War

Herman Kahn was the only nuclear strategist in America who might have made a living as a standup comedian. Indeed, galumphing around stages across the country, joking his way through one grotesque thermonuclear scenario after another, he came frighteningly close. In telling the story of Herman Kahn,

Detailed Information

Author:Sharon Ghamari-Tabrizi
Publication Year:2005
Pages:428
Language:English
File Size:1.36
Format:PDF
Price:FREE
Download Free PDF

Safe & Secure Download - No registration required

Why Choose PDFdrive for Your Free The Worlds of Herman Kahn: The Intuitive Science of Thermonuclear War Download?

  • 100% Free: No hidden fees or subscriptions required for one book every day.
  • No Registration: Immediate access is available without creating accounts for one book every day.
  • Safe and Secure: Clean downloads without malware or viruses
  • Multiple Formats: PDF, MOBI, Mpub,... optimized for all devices
  • Educational Resource: Supporting knowledge sharing and learning

Free Books Similar to The Worlds of Herman Kahn: The Intuitive Science of Thermonuclear War

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it really free to download The Worlds of Herman Kahn: The Intuitive Science of Thermonuclear War PDF?

Yes, on https://PDFdrive.to you can download The Worlds of Herman Kahn: The Intuitive Science of Thermonuclear War by Sharon Ghamari-Tabrizi completely free. We don't require any payment, subscription, or registration to access this PDF file. For 3 books every day.

How can I read The Worlds of Herman Kahn: The Intuitive Science of Thermonuclear War on my mobile device?

After downloading The Worlds of Herman Kahn: The Intuitive Science of Thermonuclear War PDF, you can open it with any PDF reader app on your phone or tablet. We recommend using Adobe Acrobat Reader, Apple Books, or Google Play Books for the best reading experience.

Is this the full version of The Worlds of Herman Kahn: The Intuitive Science of Thermonuclear War?

Yes, this is the complete PDF version of The Worlds of Herman Kahn: The Intuitive Science of Thermonuclear War by Sharon Ghamari-Tabrizi. You will be able to read the entire content as in the printed version without missing any pages.

Is it legal to download The Worlds of Herman Kahn: The Intuitive Science of Thermonuclear War PDF for free?

https://PDFdrive.to provides links to free educational resources available online. We do not store any files on our servers. Please be aware of copyright laws in your country before downloading.

The materials shared are intended for research, educational, and personal use in accordance with fair use principles.

Upgrade Premium
Most books are stored in the elastic cloud where traffic is expensive. For this reason, we have a limit on daily download.
We use cookies

We use cookies to ensure you get the best browsing experience on our website. By clicking "Accept Cookies", you agree that we can store cookies on your device in accordance with our Terms and Privacy.