ABSTRACT
As students of the structure and functioning of human societies, anthropologists and ethnologists can make major contributions to the prevention of nuclear war—certainly more significant contributions than psychiatrists, whose field of expertise is the more remote one of the psycho-pathology of individuals. The basic dilemma facing the leaders of the nuclear powers arises from the need to cope simultaneously with two dangers: one as old as mankind yet in any given manifestation only temporary; the other brand new—thirty-eight years old to be exact—yet permanent. The difficulty in grasping the revolutionary nature of nuclear weapons is compounded by their psychological unreality. Nuclear explosions lie outside any previous human experience. Since the management of technologically advanced societies requires much specialized knowledge, both the leaders and the public of the nuclear powers rely heavily on nuclear weapons experts for guidance.
