The Doomsday Clock was developed in 1947 by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a nonprofit founded by Manhattan Project scientists following the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The group’s members included Albert Einstein and University of Chicago scientists who helped develop the first atomic bomb - serious scientists – who wanted a metaphorical way to remind the public of the high stakes involved with nuclear weapons.
All of which makes it difficult to take their current day counterparts seriously.
The Doomsday Clock remains set at 100 seconds to midnight in 2022, unchanged since 2020.
The current Bulletin of Atomic Scientists is comprised of a batch of Post-Normal steampunk scientists with political agendas in need of advancement. This is how they define themselves:
“The Bulletin is a media organization, posting free articles on its website and publishing a premium digital magazine…The Bulletin focuses on three main areas: nuclear risk, climate change, and disruptive technologies.”
A media organization? That’s great, you wouldn’t want any real science going on around nuclear weapons of self-destruction. And please note: they’ve added climate change to the mix of things that lead to self annihilation. All that’s missing is a statement on diversity, equity and inclusion…oh wait!
“The Bulletin is committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The profound challenges of our moment cannot be met without increasing the diversity of background and perspective of our organization. Data show that homogenous organizations have blind spots that obscure incoming risks and areas of opportunities. The Bulletin is determined to improve diversity along the lines of age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity and expression.”
Doesn’t sound like much serious science going on around here. Confirmation: the President and CEO of the Bulletin of Atomic Science - that’s responsible for scaring informing us how close to midnight and annihilation we are – is Rachel Bronson.
“(Ms. Bronson) earned a BA in history from the University of Pennsylvania and an MA and PhD in political science from Columbia University.”
Not physics, not math, not chemistry but rather political science: more politics, less science. But I note Ms. Bronson has written many articles about the politics of global energy. Plus she’s appeared on NPR, CNN, PBS, al Jazeera, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart giving her all the bona fides and gravitas needed to scare inform us of pending global disaster, most likely due to ‘climate change’.
So here’s my advice: forget about the Steampunk Scientists’ Doomsday Clock.
Steampunk clock designed in the style of an Astrolabe featuring wings and dials, cogs and gears
It’s nothing more than political science fiction. The only clock you need to worry about is the one that stole an hour from you last night.
To paraphrase that wise old Indian Native American: “politicians are the only ones who think you can cut an inch off one end of a blanket, sew it on the other and make it longer.”
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