 First edition | |
| Author | Jonathan Schell |
|---|---|
| Subject | Consequences of nuclear war |
| Genre | Nonfiction |
| Publisher | Knopf |
Publication date | 1982 |
| Pages | 244 pages |
| ISBN | 0394525590 |
| OCLC | 8280571 |
The Fate of the Earth is a 1982 book by Jonathan Schell. Its description of the consequences of nuclear war "forces even the most reluctant person to confront the unthinkable: the destruction of humanity and possibly most life on Earth". The work is regarded as a key document in the nuclear disarmament movement.[1][2]
The book is composed of three essays, which originally ran in The New Yorker in three issues in February 1982. The first, "A Republic of Insects and Grass," is a description of the consequences of a nuclear holocaust. The second, "The Second Death," is metaphysical in nature, urging readers to respect the humanity and perhaps even the divinity of future generations, who will not be born due to the self-extermination of the human race. The third, "The Choice," describes the source of the nuclear threat as the nation-state system and argues that a choice must be made between national sovereignty and survival.
- ^ "Smoking Guns and Mushroom Clouds (Published 2007)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 24, 2023.
- ^ Gerald H. Clarfield and William M. Wiecek (1984). Nuclear America: Military and Civilian Nuclear Power in the United States 1940-1980, Harper & Row, New York, p. 477.