---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nuclear war is such an emotional subject…"
description: "\"Nuclear war is such an emotional subject that many people see the weapons themselves as the common enemy of humanity.\" — Herman Kahn"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/herman-kahn-16803_common_nuclear-war-is-such-an-emotional-subject_2999479.jpg"
---

#  Nuclear war is such an emotional subject that many people…

![“Nuclear war is such an emotional subject that many people see the weapons themselves as the common enemy of humanity.” quote by Herman Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/herman-kahn-16803_common_nuclear-war-is-such-an-emotional-subject_2999479.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/herman-kahn-16803_common_nuclear-war-is-such-an-emotional-subject_2999479.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/herman-kahn-16803_common_nuclear-war-is-such-an-emotional-subject_2999479.jpg)

> “Nuclear war is such an emotional subject that many people see the weapons themselves as the common enemy of humanity.”

[Herman Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-kahn/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Nuclear weapons are emotionally charged, leading many to view them as humanity’s common enemy rather than focusing on broader systemic issues.

**In simple terms:** Seeing nukes as a shared enemy.

Key Takeaway

Address underlying causes beyond symbolic threats.

Themes

war emotions global risk

Mood

anxious thoughtful

Type

political philosophical

When to use this quote

- international diplomacy
- education campaigns
- peace activism

Key Concepts

nuclear deterrence collective security

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do emotions dominate nuclear discourse?
- How can we shift focus to systemic solutions?

A Different Perspective

Focusing on weapons may oversimplify complex geopolitics.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) [Common enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-enemy/) [Emotional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional/) [Emotional Subject](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional-subject-1422435/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Enemy Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy-humanity-1855642/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Nuclear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nuclear/) [Nuclear war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nuclear-war/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Subjects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjects/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War Emotional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-emotional-4754159/) [Weapons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weapons/)

## Related quotes

> [The common enemy of humanity is man. In searching for a new enemy to unite us, we came up with the idea that pollution,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aurelio-peccei/the-common-enemy-of-humanity-is-man-in-searching-for-a-new-enemy-to/)

[Aurelio Peccei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aurelio-peccei/)

> [Land is an emotional subject with a farmer in India because it is his only means of income.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kushal-pal-singh/land-is-an-emotional-subject-with-a-farmer-in-india-because-it-is-his/)

[Kushal Pal Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kushal-pal-singh/)

> [Terrorism, as a whole, is - I don't want to say 'taboo,' but it is a very emotional subject.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-goldberg/terrorism-as-a-whole-is-i-don-t-want-to-say-taboo-but-it-is-a-very/)

[Bill Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-goldberg/)

> [Capitalism is the worst enemy of humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/capitalism-is-the-worst-enemy-of-humanity/)

[Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/)

> [“The true enemy of humanity was not Evil, an abstract idea personified by some sort of crimson-faced creature dancing in flames, but Chance, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dexter-palmer/the-true-enemy-of-humanity-was-not-evil-an-abstract-idea-personified/)

[Dexter Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dexter-palmer/)

> [The enemy of a tree is not only the enemy of humanity, but also the enemy of all the living beings!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/the-enemy-of-a-tree-is-not-only-the-enemy-of-humanity-but-also-the/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [No people on earth can be held, as a people, to be an enemy, for all humanity shares the common hunger for peace and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/no-people-on-earth-can-be-held-as-a-people-to-be-an-enemy-for-all/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [Science is not the enemy of humanity but one of the deepest expressions of the human desire to realize that vision of infinite knowledge.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-pagels/science-is-not-the-enemy-of-humanity-but-one-of-the-deepest/)

[Heinz Pagels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-pagels/)

> [“The worst enemy of our humanity is our self-doubt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lolly-daskal/the-worst-enemy-of-our-humanity-is-our-self-doubt/)

[Lolly Daskal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lolly-daskal/)

> [Whenever you hear the word "inevitable", watch out! An enemy of humanity has identified himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vizinczey/whenever-you-hear-the-word-inevitable-watch-out-an-enemy-of-humanity/)

[Stephen Vizinczey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vizinczey/)

> [The worst enemy of humanity is U.S. capitalism. That is what provokes uprisings like our own, a rebellion against a system, against a neoliberal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/the-worst-enemy-of-humanity-is-u-s-capitalism-that-is-what-provokes/)

[Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/)

> [“We are the enemies of society, for society is the enemy of humanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/we-are-the-enemies-of-society-for-society-is-the-enemy-of-humanity/)

[G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/)

> [“Fear is the greatest enemy of humanity, it paralyses tons and tons of people around the globe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euginia-herlihy/fear-is-the-greatest-enemy-of-humanity-it-paralyses-tons-and-tons-of/)

[Euginia Herlihy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euginia-herlihy/)

> [From a scientific perspective there is some indication that a nuclear war could deplete the earth's ozone layer or, less likely, could bring on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-kahn/from-a-scientific-perspective-there-is-some-indication-that-a-nuclear/)

[Herman Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-kahn/)

> [In 1960 I published a book that attempted to direct attention to the possibility of a thermonuclear war, to ways of reducing the likelihood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-kahn/in-1960-i-published-a-book-that-attempted-to-direct-attention-to-the/)

[Herman Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-kahn/)

## More by Herman Kahn

> [I'm against ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-kahn/i-m-against-ignorance/)

[Herman Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-kahn/)

> [I'm against sloppy, emotional thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-kahn/i-m-against-sloppy-emotional-thinking/)

[Herman Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-kahn/)

> [Anything that reduces war-related destruction should not be considered altogether immoral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-kahn/anything-that-reduces-war-related-destruction-should-not-be/)

[Herman Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-kahn/)

> [World War I broke out largely because of an arms race, and World War II because of the lack of an arms race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-kahn/world-war-i-broke-out-largely-because-of-an-arms-race-and-world-war/)

[Herman Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-kahn/)

> [For if enough people were really convinced that growth should be halted, and if they acted on that conviction, then billions of others might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-kahn/for-if-enough-people-were-really-convinced-that-growth-should-be/)

[Herman Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-kahn/)

> [Risk-taking is the essence of innovation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-kahn/risk-taking-is-the-essence-of-innovation/)

[Herman Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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, and E...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-kahn/the-common-contaminated-foods-which-would-be-the-major-source-of-sr/)

[Herman Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-kahn/)

> [Human and moral factors must always be considered. They must never be missing from policies and from public discussion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-kahn/human-and-moral-factors-must-always-be-considered-they-must-never-be/)

[Herman Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-kahn/)

> [For some years I have spent my time on exactly these questions - both in thinking about ways to prevent war, and in thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-kahn/for-some-years-i-have-spent-my-time-on-exactly-these-questions-both/)

[Herman Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-kahn/)

> [It may literally turn out that a Hottentot, an educated and literate Hottentot it is true, but one who is a member of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-kahn/it-may-literally-turn-out-that-a-hottentot-an-educated-and-literate/)

[Herman Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-kahn/)

> [New developments in weapon systems during the 1950s and early 1960s created a situation that was most dangerous, and even conducive to accidental war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-kahn/new-developments-in-weapon-systems-during-the-1950s-and-early-1960s/)

[Herman Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-kahn/)

> [To the extent that these advanced weapons or their components are treated as articles of commerce, perhaps for peaceful uses as in the Plowshare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-kahn/to-the-extent-that-these-advanced-weapons-or-their-components-are/)

[Herman Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-kahn/)

> [Only those who are ideologically opposed to military programs think of the defense budget as the first and best place to get resources for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-kahn/only-those-who-are-ideologically-opposed-to-military-programs-think/)

[Herman Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-kahn/)

> [Nuclear weapons are intrinsically neither moral nor immoral, though they are more prone to immoral use than most weapons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-kahn/nuclear-weapons-are-intrinsically-neither-moral-nor-immoral-though/)

[Herman Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-kahn/)

> [In 1960 I published a book that attempted to direct attention to the possibility of a thermonuclear war, to ways of reducing the likelihood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-kahn/in-1960-i-published-a-book-that-attempted-to-direct-attention-to-the/)

[Herman Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-kahn/)

[Explore all 39 Herman Kahn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-kahn/)

## More Common quotes

> [I'm Fine!, the most common LIE in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/punkinhead-abhishek/i-m-fine-the-most-common-lie-in-the-world/)

[Punkinhead Abhishek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/punkinhead-abhishek/)

> [A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk, argument about common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/a-flourishing-morally-credible-media-is-a-vital-component-in-the/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/)

[John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/)

> [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

> [Our times demand the declaration of the world's resources as the common heritage of all people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/our-times-demand-the-declaration-of-the-world-s-resources-as-the/)

[Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/)

> [ Neither Italian fascism nor German national "socialism" have anything in common with such a \[Soviet socialistic\] society, primarily because private ownership of factories, plants,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/neither-italian-fascism-nor-german-national-socialism-have-anything/)

[Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/)

> [When you have a cavity in your tooth and you let it get worse, eventually you have to get a root canal. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-newton-john/when-you-have-a-cavity-in-your-tooth-and-you-let-it-get-worse/)

[Olivia Newton-John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-newton-john/)

> [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [Common sense is nothing more than a deposit of prejudices laid down in the mind before you reach eighteen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/common-sense-is-nothing-more-than-a-deposit-of-prejudices-laid-down/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/)

[Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/)

> [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/)

[Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/)

> [A time will come when the science of destruction shall bend before the arts of peace; when the genius which multiplies our powers, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-arago/a-time-will-come-when-the-science-of-destruction-shall-bend-before/)

[Francois Arago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-arago/)

> [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/)

[John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/)

> [It is a tragedy that we live in a world where physical courage is so common, and moral courage is so rare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-monet/it-is-a-tragedy-that-we-live-in-a-world-where-physical-courage-is-so/)

[Claude Monet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-monet/)

> [Those who advocate common usage in philosophy sometimes speak in a manner that suggests the mystique of the 'common man.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/those-who-advocate-common-usage-in-philosophy-sometimes-speak-in-a/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

[Browse all 7,866 Common quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Nuclear war is such an emotional subject that many people see the weapons themselves as the common enemy of humanity.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Herman Kahn"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-kahn/nuclear-war-is-such-an-emotional-subject-that-many-people-see-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Common"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-kahn/nuclear-war-is-such-an-emotional-subject-that-many-people-see-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/herman-kahn-16803_common_nuclear-war-is-such-an-emotional-subject_2999479.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/herman-kahn-16803_common_nuclear-war-is-such-an-emotional-subject_2999479.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/herman-kahn-16803_common_nuclear-war-is-such-an-emotional-subject_2999479.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Nuclear war is such an emotional subject that many people see the weapons themselves as the common enemy of…” — Herman Kahn",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Herman Kahn",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-kahn/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Nuclear war is such an emotional...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-kahn/nuclear-war-is-such-an-emotional-subject-that-many-people-see-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-kahn/nuclear-war-is-such-an-emotional-subject-that-many-people-see-the/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
