Shall We All Commit Suicide?
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"Shall We All Commit Suicide?" is an essay about the inexorable development of technology written by Winston Churchill.[1] It was originally published in The Pall Mall Magazine on 24 September 1924.[2]
In the essay, Churchill says that technology was advancing faster than humans could learn to protect themselves from its use for war and domination.[3] With World War I having ended a few years before, he focuses on the potential damage in a future war, speculating on technological advancements that might result in "a bomb no bigger than an orange" that could "blast a township at a stroke".[4]
His reference to a future atomic bomb may have been inspired by the science-fiction writings of H. G. Wells.[5]
Related works[edit]
He published two other essays on broad societal themes around the same time.[6] The essay "Mass Effects in Modern Life" decried the connection between mass production and Bolshevism.[6] The essay "Fifty Years Hence" predicted the rise of totalitarian fascist states that valued power more than intelligence and intelligence far more than morality.[6]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Kimball, R. (2022). Highways to Utopia. New Criterion, 40(10), 4–12.
- ^ "International Relations". The Nation. J.H. Richards. 1924. p. 608. Archived from the original on 16 February 2024.
- ^ Sheffield, G. (2013). Death from the skies. New Statesman, 142(5179), 42–43.
- ^ Harper, Tyler Austin (26 January 2024). "The 100-Year Extinction Panic Is Back, Right on Schedule". The New York Times.
- ^ Fuller, Steve (October 2013). "The Secret Life of Science in the Second World War". New Scientist. 220 (2938): 48–49. Bibcode:2013NewSc.220...48F. doi:10.1016/S0262-4079(13)62442-2.
- ^ a b c Winnie. (1940). TIME Magazine, 36(19), 82.
External links[edit]
- Thoughts and Adventures at Faded Page (Canada). Chapter 18: "Shall We All Commit Suicide? ". Chapter 19: "Mass Effects in Modern Life". Chapter 20: "Fifty Years Hence".