Nationalism, science, and individual responsibility

Nationalism and science are two dominant systems of thought and institutions that have evolved together over the past four centuries. An intolerable conflict, however, has arisen between them, and humanity will not survive long if they both continue to flourish. The hundred-fold (or more) reduction in the cost of destruction provided by physicists through the development of nuclear weaponry has brought this conflict to a critical point. Young scientists have a moral imperative to study the relationship between nationalism and science and, although there are no clear answers, to search for a way to resolve the conflict.