- Topic Nuclear Weapons and War
- Time Sep 26, 2020 04:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
- Location Online, by Zoom – register here for the link
As a follow-up to our successful online BRS meeting in June, we decided to have online events between annual meetings as well. The first such event will be held Saturday, Sept. 26 at 4pm. It will be an online presentation of a unique debate between Bertrand Russell and Edward Teller, the nuclear physicist often referred to as the “father of the hydrogen bomb”.
The first half hour of a two part debate occurred on CBS television in the US on Feb. 23, 1960 and the second on March 6. The moderator was Edward R. Murrow, a leading broadcast journalist of his time, host of the news feature show “Small World”. Suffice it to say that this debate, occurring before the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963, was one of the major presentations of opposing sides on this and related nuclear issues. As we know, nuclear weapons remain with us today, so this debate contains many elements of contemporary relevance.
After we watch the first half hour of the debate, we can discuss the issues involved among ourselves, and then watch the second half hour. This will be an opportunity to watch Russell in action in what was a live debate, with Russell in London and Teller in Berkeley, California.
You can get the link for participating in the event by registering here, and you can enter the Zoom room anytime on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 4pm. The time is Eastern Time US, so please adjust for your local time.
The Bertrand Russell Society 
I intend to watch and participate this afternoon, and applaud all who planned this. One question: Will this virtual event be accessible subsequently? And if so, only to members of the Society, or possibly more broadly accessible? Thanks.
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Thanks for your question. We are looking into making the videos that will be shown today available on our website, too! We did that with the Chomsky-Stone interview, and that went off without a hitch.
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