Actors Quote by Carl Sagan
“Teller contended, not implausibly, that hydrogen bombs keep the peace, or at least prevent thermonuclear war, because the consequences of warfare between nuclear powers are now too dangerous. We haven't had a nuclear war yet, have we? But all such arguments assume that the nuclear-armed nations are and always will be, without exception, rational actors, and that bouts of anger and revenge and madness will never overtake their leaders (or military and secret police officers in charge of nuclear weapons). In the century of Hitler and Stalin, this seems ingenuous.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, 1980
The belief that nuclear weapons ensure peace rests on the unrealistic assumption that all leaders remain rational and never act irrationally.
In simple terms: Nuclear peace depends on always rational leaders, which is unrealistic.
Key Takeaway
Question the stability of peace based on nuclear deterrence.
Themes
peace
deterrence
rationality
Mood
skeptical
analytical
Type
political
philosophical
When to use this quote
- international policy
- defense strategy
- crisis management
Key Concepts
political theory
security studies
Questions to Reflect On
- Can peace be maintained without nuclear weapons?
- What safeguards can ensure rational decision‑making?
A Different Perspective
Rationality can break down under stress, undermining deterrence.
![“[ When a religious couple wrote to Sagan about fulfilled prophecies, he wrote back in May 1996 :] If ‘fulfilled prophecy’ is your criterion, why do you not believe in materialistic science, which has an unparalleled record of fulfilled prophecy? Consider, for example, eclipses.” quote by Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/875/carl-sagan-160_belief_when-a-religious-couple-wrote-to-sagan-a_25095.jpg)
