The Ethical Culturist Who Built the Bomb

Leader Curt Collier

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J. Robert Oppenheimer was a graduate of the Fieldston Ethical Culture School. His parents were active in the Society for Ethical Culture, his dad served on its Board of Directors for eight years, and all knew and respected Felix Adler, the Society’s founder.

Oppenheimer is also known as “the father of the bomb,” as he led up a team of scientists at Los Almos laboratory in New Mexico that engineered the first atomic weapon.

After the war, Oppenheimer became a vocal advocate for nuclear regulation despite serving as the chief adviser for the US Atomic Energy Commission.

He angered many politicians for his efforts to limit nuclear power, and in 1954 his security clearance was revoked. In 1955 Oppenheimer published The Open Mind, his lectures on nuclear energy and the technical and ethical qualifications needed for a society to wield such power.

Was Oppenheimer right? Are we the kind of society that can manage nuclear power, and if not, what needs to change?