the collective

The creation of collectives and the power that arises from guided collective action develop into its most potent forms during times of war. Given the life or death scenario involved, solders are prepared to commit acts that would be considered horrible in the context of nearly any civilization. There are boundaries to war. These rules of war exist only to ensure that the combatants will be able fight each other some time after victory has been decided. Until this century, the expectation of completely obliterating a society has not been a reasonable possibility. Nuclear weapons have changed irrevocably our ability to destroy an opponent. Nuclear weapons have created the possibility of being defeated in victory. The destruction of the already tenuous stability of the ecosystem on which our survival depends could destroy an aggressor who had successfully obliterated an enemy. We are, however, quite prepared at this time to engage in such a scenario. Most of the nuclear forces of the world are ready to attack on a moment's notice. While the probability of nuclear conflict is low, there exists no lower boundary of probability that is sufficient to allay the fear that accompanies the potential use of nuclear weapons. It would not be nearly as reprehensible to possess nuclear weapons technology if Human Beings fully realized the potential for self-destruction inherent in such weapons. If it were a matter of policy that the survival of the Human species is the ultimate goal of any collective, we would not possess nuclear weapons. War would be an unfathomable relic of a previous age.