Annual Theme Lecture Series aims to stimulate debate among students, community
 
(OAKDALE, NY) – Dowling College’s Annual Theme of Diversity lecture series continues, with a thought-provoking lecture that argues that much of what we think we know about nuclear weapons is wrong.  Join Dowling in welcoming independent scholar Ward Wilson for his presentation “Paradigm Shift: Rethinking Nuclear Weapons” on Monday, March 16th at 2:30 p.m. in the Fortunoff Hall Ballroom at the historic Rudolph Campus at Oakdale. This event is free and open to the public.
 
Independent scholar Ward Wilson explains that we are going through a paradigm shift on nuclear weapons – the conceptual framework which we have used for understanding the issues of the last sixty years is being supplanted by a new framework which will radically reshape what we know. Nuclear weapons were originally perceived through what Wilson calls the “apocalypse paradigm” – through this lens they appeared to be awe-inspiring, connected with the end of the world, and certain to be effective both militarily and as threats. Wilson argues that this old paradigm is crumbling under the weight of internal contradictions. The shape of the new paradigm is not completely clear. The demise of the old one, however, is certain.

The most important step in this process of rethinking nuclear weapons comes from recent changes in our understanding of the bombing of Hiroshima. New research about this pivotal event shows that we have overestimated the power and influence of nuclear weapons. Japan did not surrender as a result of the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and this impacts much of what we think about these weapons.

Wilson takes a pragmatic approach to nuclear weapons and emerges from a groundbreaking analysis with the conclusion that while nuclear weapons are clearly dangerous, it is not clear that they are not very useful militarily. This thought-provoking rethinking will challenge your pre-conceptions and reshape the way you think about nuclear weapons. Stephen Schwartz, editor of Nonproliferation Review, has said, “Wilson . . . is well on his way to deconstructing the most fundamental beliefs about nuclear weapons.” Wilson is a scholar who has studied nuclear weapons issues for 25 years. He studied history at the American University with a concentration on diplomatic and military history.
 
About Dowling College
Dowling College is an independent, coeducational college that serves more than 6,500 students at its historic Rudolph Campus on the banks of the Connetquot River in Oakdale, NY, and the 105-acre Brookhaven Campus in eastern Long Island and a business center located near the Nassau-Suffolk border in Melville. Dowling offers Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees in several disciplines through its four schools: Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Education.