ABSTRACT
Humanity is the culmination of an awesome evolutionary process that makes them kin not only to all other humans but also to the rocks and trees. Whether people realize it or not, the most important issue facing humanity—more important than the dangers of terrorism and nuclear proliferation—is how to avoid a nuclear war between the superpowers, a war with "the potential to destroy all civilisation and the entire ecosystem of the planet" in a single day. It will be immediately objected that such an untoward possibility is simply unthinkable, that nobody would be stupid enough to start WWIII, so why worry about it. One problem with this objection is that it neglects our historical experience in regard to starting world wars, specifically WWI. People need to be clear about what is at stake: all human life.
