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wellerstein's profile
Alex Wellerstein
Alex Wellerstein
Alex Wellerstein
Verified account
@wellerstein

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Alex WellersteinVerified account

@wellerstein

Historian of science, secrecy, and nuclear weapons. Professor of STS at @FollowStevens. UC Berkeley alum with a Harvard PhD. NUKEMAP creator. Coder and web dev.

Hoboken, NJ / NYC
blog.nuclearsecrecy.com
Joined September 2011

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    1. Alex Wellerstein‏Verified account @wellerstein Jul 16
      • Report Tweet

      The most famous Trinity quote is Oppenheimer's "Now I am become death, destroyer of worlds." I wrote on that awhile back, too — it doesn't mean what many people think it does. It's not Oppenheimer saying HE is the destroyer of worlds...http://blog.nuclearsecrecy.com/2014/05/23/oppenheimer-gita/ …

      3 replies 19 retweets 33 likes
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    2. Alex Wellerstein‏Verified account @wellerstein Jul 16
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      ...rather, its allusion to the Gita is more likely about the bomb revealing itself to him, compelling him to battle, as Krishna did to Arjuna. Which makes it about responsibility and duty, rather than a claim to power.pic.twitter.com/ekwaHs3IMf

      2 replies 2 retweets 13 likes
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    3. J M‏ @Jarlemag Jul 16
      • Report Tweet
      Replying to @wellerstein

      That seems a rather...complicated interpretation. What happened to Ockhams razor?

      1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes
    4. Alex Wellerstein‏Verified account @wellerstein Jul 16
      • Report Tweet
      Replying to @Jarlemag

      It is a heuristic that frequently fails when you are dealing with complicated things and complicated people. Even Oppenheimer's own account puts it in this context, however — it is not Oppenheimer bragging, it is a complex scriptural reference.pic.twitter.com/CEB36dJSCN

      1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes
    5. J M‏ @Jarlemag Jul 16
      • Report Tweet
      Replying to @wellerstein

      Still think you are making his words “deeper” without compelling evidence here. Also think it’s probably more tempting to do/justify that with “complicated” people. Never seen it as a brag anyway, just an expression of awe at terrible power and the responsibility for it.

      2 replies 0 retweets 0 likes
    6. Alex Wellerstein‏Verified account @wellerstein Jul 16
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      Replying to @Jarlemag

      You can read the blog post if you want to understand the argument, and the article that I cite in it looks very closely at Oppenheimer's interactions with Hindu philosophy over his life.

      2 replies 0 retweets 0 likes
      Alex Wellerstein‏Verified account @wellerstein Jul 16
      • Report Tweet
      Replying to @wellerstein @Jarlemag

      Ooor you can assume that the quote "reads itself" devoid of the context of the person who said it. Up to you!

      10:10 AM - 16 Jul 2019
      0 replies 0 retweets 0 likes

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