Episode · Dwarkesh Podcast · 2023-05-23
Books mentioned on Richard Rhodes — The making of the atomic bomb
It was a tremendous honor & pleasure to interview Richard Rhodes, Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb We discuss - similarities between AI progress & Manhattan Project (deve
Dwarkesh Patel discussed The making of the atomic bomb by Richard Rhodes and DOOMSDAY MACHINE by ELLSBERG DANIEL. Richard Rhodes discussed The World Set Free by H. G. Wells.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The making of the atomic bomb
The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes is a monumental historical account that chronicles the scientific breakthroughs, political pressures, and brilliant personalities behind the creation of the world's first nuclear weapons.
Discussed“Let's start talking about The Making of the Bomb. One question I have is — if World War II doesn't happen, is there any possibility that the bomb just never gets developed?”
Where to get it
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DOOMSDAY MACHINE
Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner is a non-fiction book by Daniel Ellsberg that examines the terrifying risks of nuclear war and U.S.
Discussed“And the second thing about the category difference between thermonuclear and atomic bombs. Daniel Ellsberg, the nuclear planner who wrote the Doomsday machine, he talks about, people don't understand that the atom bomb that resulted in the pictures we see of Nagasaki and Hiroshima”
Where to get it
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The World Set Free
The World Set Free by H.
Discussed“When H.G. Wells wrote his novel, The World Set Free in 1913, predicting an atomic war that would lead to world government, he had Air Forces delivering atomic bombs, but he forgot to update his planes.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (6) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“Today I have the great honor of interviewing Richard Rhodes, who is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb, and most recently, the author of Energy, A Human History.”
“Today I have the great honor of interviewing Richard Rhodes, who is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb, and most recently, the author of Energy, A Human History.”
“Oppenheimer wrote pretty good poetry. He was interested in art. He wanted to read the Bhagavad Gita Gita in the original Sanskrit so he learned Sanskrit.”
“One ring to bind them all like Lord of the Rings. They thought it would aggrandize national power, but what it did was put a limit to national power.”
“The book is The Making of the Atomic Bomb. Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to talk as much about your new book on energy, but when your next book comes out, we'll get a chance to talk about the remainder that we didn't get a chance to talk about.”
“The book is The Making of the Atomic Bomb. Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to talk as much about your new book on energy, but when your next book comes out, we'll get a chance to talk about the remainder that we didn't get a chance to talk about.”