The Daily Think

After recently listening to an entertaining “Last Podcast of the Left” series on the Manhattan Project (Last Podcast on the Left episodes 533, 534 and 535) it got me focused on the entire subject and I wanted to approach the atomic bomb creation story from a different angle. The Last Podcast guys cover a subject so well, it makes you think beyond the X’s and O’s of the story, and maybe how you can look at the story from said different angle. After careful consideration, and reviewing the data, I came upon a few possible fictional comparisons of nuclear proliferation in various forms of media and entertainment.

SUPERHEROES AS NUKES

For this I considered some of the superheroes of Marvel and DC who could wield and direct powers capable of annihilation similar to a nuke, but there were too many superpowered beings in both universes capable of such awesome power! The nearest candidate of course is Bruce Banner, who used Gamma rays to unleash the incredible HULK, a creature with frightening power that could lay as much waste to the earth as a nuclear weapon. But this would be too obvious, and fortunately the HULK has found a way to control his awesome powers. Besides, I didn’t want to go the obvious comic book route being a reformed “Comic Book Guy.”

THE WORLD OF JURASSIC PARK AS UNLEASHING NUCLEAR WEAPONS
“Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” – ‘Jurassic Park’, 1993

Dr. Ian Malcolm of course talks about the unleashing of genetic powers that it’s similar to “a child that found his dad’s gun.” He claims it to be “the most awesome force the planet’s ever seen” and although he is often proven right (and he reminds of this fact all the time) the damage brought on by the genetic powers don’t necessarily equate to an Atomic Bomb. So maybe not dinosaurs.

BUT A POWERFUL GIANT-SIZED ANIMAL?
There are two candidates that fall into this possible genre. Godzilla of course but also Khaleesi’s dragons from the Game of Thrones series. Godzilla was born of French nuclear tests in the Indian Ocean and radiated lizard eggs and his unintended birth led to some city sized destruction, BUT ultimately Godzilla was not out to destroy humanity. Khaleesi’s dragons were used with the express purpose to be weapons of war and to keep political power in the hands of those who wielded them. George R.R. Martin couldn’t have drawn a straighter line to nuclear weapons, than Dragons. But I had one thing in mind, and I was going to point to that instead since I wanted to talk about it.

ENTER CTHULHU

HP Lovecraft introduced the character of Cthulhu in 1928 in The Call of Cthulhu. Weapons of mass destruction did not exist yet, but within 17 years of the concept of Cthulhu, the Manhattan Project would take us from the Industrial Age to the Atomic Age by 1945 and usher us into a new world of horror and dread that faces us to this very day.

THE CULT OF CTHULHU AND THE MANHATTAN PROJECT
Comparing Robert Oppenheimer’s creation of the atomic bomb to releasing Cthulhu involves exploring the themes of immense power, irreversible consequences, and the potential for global destruction. Here’s a metaphorical comparison:

UNLEASHING UNPRECEDENTED POWER
Just as releasing Cthulhu signifies unleashing an ancient and incomprehensible cosmic force, Oppenheimer’s creation of the atomic bomb brought forth an unprecedented level of destructive power. Both acts symbolize the release of something unimaginably potent into the world, capable of causing widespread devastation.

IRREVERSIBLE CONSEQUENCES
The awakening of Cthulhu and the use of the atomic bomb represent actions that cannot be undone. Once Cthulhu is released, chaos and madness ensue, and the consequences cannot be reversed. Similarly, the atomic bomb, once detonated, leaves a lasting impact on human lives, the environment, and future generations, with the effects of radiation and the potential for nuclear warfare having long-lasting consequences.

GLOBAL CATASTROPHE

Releasing Cthulhu and deploying the atomic bomb have the potential to bring about global catastrophe. Cthulhu’s awakening is associated with the destruction of civilizations and the disruption of the natural order. Similarly, the use of atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II caused immense loss of life and brought about a new era of nuclear threat that continues to shape geopolitics.

MORAL AND ETHICAL DILEMMAS
Both acts raise significant moral and ethical dilemmas. Releasing Cthulhu and deploying the atomic bomb force individuals to confront the consequences of their actions and grapple with questions of the greater good, the value of human life, and the responsibilities of wielding such power.

CTHULHU CULT MEMBERS & MANHATTAN PROJECT SCIENCTISTS AREN’T THE SAME RIGHT?
Oppenheimer and the scientists expressed regret, and fought for disarmament post war. But did they thirst for knowledge and innovation over the moral issues associated with creating a weapon of mass destruction? The cultists’ actions were driven by a desire for power, knowledge, or the hope of escaping the limitations of human existence. The science they perform is more of rituals, sacrifices, and secret ceremonies to awaken or summon the Great Old Ones. However, their motivations are typically rooted in a deep sense of dread, existential terror, and a nihilistic worldview rather than joy or celebration. Perhaps the Cult and the Scientists were more alike than we think…

ABOUT BECOMING DEATH, DESTROYER OF WORLDS
J. Robert Oppenheimer’s famous quote, “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds,” is attributed to his reaction upon witnessing the first successful test of the atomic bomb. Oppenheimer uttered these words during a conversation with fellow scientists and colleagues at the Trinity Test site in New Mexico on July 16, 1945. As a well read man of religion and philosophy, he drew inspiration from the ancient Indian scripture, the Bhagavad Gita. In

Chapter 11 Verse 32, Lord Krishna, an incarnation of the Hindu deity Vishnu, reveals his divine form to Arjuna, a warrior and prince. Overwhelmed by the sight of the vast and terrifying cosmic form of Krishna, Arjuna expresses a mix of awe and fear. Oppenheimer’s quote draws upon this context and reflects his own feelings of awe, apprehension, and recognition of the immense destructive power that the atomic bomb represented. The Cosmic Force potentially unleashed in both the Bhagavad Gita and the Call of Cthulhu and the Manhattan Project, seem eerily similar to one another and perhaps when we tap into the unknown potentials of the scientific world not for good, but harm, perhaps we are reaching out and invoking a different form of Cthulhu to bring about the end of our world.