Herman Kahn

I'm against ignorance.

— Herman Kahn

I'm against sloppy, emotional thinking.

— Herman Kahn

Anything that reduces war-related destruction should not be considered altogether immoral.

— Herman Kahn

World War I broke out largely because of an arms race, and World War II because of the lack of an arms…

— Herman Kahn

For if enough people were really convinced that growth should be halted, and if they acted on that conviction, then billions of…

— Herman Kahn

Risk-taking is the essence of innovation.

— Herman Kahn

“The common contaminated foods which would be the major source of Sr-90 might be classified into five grades- A, B, C, D,…

— Herman Kahn

Human and moral factors must always be considered. They must never be missing from policies and from public discussion.

— Herman Kahn

For some years I have spent my time on exactly these questions - both in thinking about ways to prevent war, and…

— Herman Kahn

It may literally turn out that a Hottentot, an educated and literate Hottentot it is true, but one who is a member…

— Herman Kahn

New developments in weapon systems during the 1950s and early 1960s created a situation that was most dangerous, and even conducive to…

— Herman Kahn

To the extent that these advanced weapons or their components are treated as articles of commerce, perhaps for peaceful uses as in…

— Herman Kahn

Only those who are ideologically opposed to military programs think of the defense budget as the first and best place to get…

— Herman Kahn

Nuclear weapons are intrinsically neither moral nor immoral, though they are more prone to immoral use than most weapons.

— Herman Kahn

In 1960 I published a book that attempted to direct attention to the possibility of a thermonuclear war, to ways of reducing…

— Herman Kahn

A healthy and fully functioning society must allocate its resources among a variety of competing interests, all of which are more or…

— Herman Kahn

I am against the whole cliche of the moment.

— Herman Kahn

Failures of perspective in decision-making can be due to aspects of the social utility paradox, but more often result from simple mistakes…

— Herman Kahn

Nevertheless, during the sixty years of the twentieth century many problems have come increasingly into the realm of acceptable public discussion.

— Herman Kahn

It is immoral from almost any point of view to refuse to defend yourself and others from very grave and terrible threats,…

— Herman Kahn

The objective of nuclear-weapons policy should not be solely to decrease the number of weapons in the world, but to make the…

— Herman Kahn

Many people believe that the current system must inevitably end in total annihilation. They reject, sometimes very emotionally, any attempts to analyze…

— Herman Kahn

The widespread diffusion of nuclear weapons would make many nations able, and in some cases also create the pressure, to aggravate an…

— Herman Kahn

Authority is not power; that's coercion. Authority is not knowledge; that's persuasion, or seduction. Authority is simply that the author has the…

— Herman Kahn

Projecting a persuasive image of a desirable and practical future is extremely important to high morale, to dynamism, to consensus, and in…

— Herman Kahn