<P> "The perplexity is explained by Shell's process of continually taking worst interpretations and bending the evidence to give the worst impression...And usually when he spells out a worst case as a possibility--for example...a 10,000 Mt attack on the United States--this becomes implicitly a certainty for later discussion, with qualifications dropped" </P> <P> Brian Martin offers explanation for the constant tendency to exaggerate the effect of nuclear war: </P> <P> "' Pushing' of an argument to support a particular conclusion is a common phenomenon in science, and Shell, perhaps, should not be blamed overly much for doing this, especially since in many of his arguments he relies heavily on quotes from specialists who do the same thing . What is more important are the political implications of a conclusion about the likelihood of extinction from nuclear war . There are many potential (political) reasons why the effects of nuclear war are exaggerated...Indeed, Shell explicitly advocates use of the fear of extinction as the basis for inspiring the' complete rearrangement of world politics ."' </P> <Ul> <Li> In the 1985 Infocom interactive fiction game A Mind Forever Voyaging, The Fate of the Earth is on the list of banned books, tapes, and programs, issued by the Morality Bureau of the government in Rockvil's Main Library in the 2071 simulation; the reason is that it has something to do with nuclear war and the Cold War . </Li> </Ul>

The fate of the earth jonathan schell summary