Humans must reject self-destructive path

Seismic data indicate North Korea detonated a nuclear weapon. Its government claims that it was a hydrogen bomb. Scientists doubt the claim because of the lower-than-expected yield for an H-bomb.

Whether it was an H-bomb or not, the world is now a more dangerous place. Technology has advanced so fast that soon, nearly any country can build nuclear weapons. While the Doomsday Clock is still ticking, humanity is capable of self-destruction.

The late Carl Sagan contemplated: Are advanced civilizations doomed to disappear after acquiring the knowledge to build weapons capable of destroying themselves? Humans are intelligent enough to harness nuclear energy, yet we cannot learn to live together peacefully.

To many, building weapons that can destroy humanity is irrational. As a scientist, I ask: Has evolution made our brain’s rational side subordinate to the emotional side? As an educator, I also question: Has our education system produced citizens capable of performing their jobs, but unable to think in moral dimensions? Are curriculum’s focused mainly on job training rather than teaching students to think in broader contexts?

Countering Mr. Sagan’s fatalistic speculation, I hope we humans are intelligent and rational enough to turn around before going down the path of self-destruction.

This story was originally published January 13, 2016 at 5:40 AM with the headline "Humans must reject self-destructive path."