‘Oppenheimer’ and the Siren Song of World-Ending Technology - a podcast by New York Times Opinion

Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster hit “Oppenheimer” tells the story of the father of the atomic bomb and the invention he hoped would end all wars. (Spoiler alert: It did not.)

On “Matter of Opinion,” the hosts discuss how history should view J. Robert Oppenheimer — naïve martyr or crybaby? — and whether we have more to fear from nuclear weapons in the age of artificial intelligence.

 

Mentioned in this episode:

• “‘Cry Baby Scientist’: What Oppenheimer the Film Gets Wrong About Oppenheimer the Man,” by Haydn Belfield in Vox
• “Thank God for the Atom Bomb,” by Paul Fussell in The New Republic
• “American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer,” by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin
• “Hiroshima,” by John Hersey

 

More from Opinion:

• "The Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer," by Kai Bird for The New York Times
• "Our Oppenheimer Moment: The Creation of A.I. Weapons," by Alexander C. Karp for The New York Times
• "How to Stop a Nuclear War," by Ross Douthat for The New York Times
• "A Look Back at Our Future War With China," by Carlos Lozada for The New York Times

Further episodes of Matter of Opinion

Further podcasts by New York Times Opinion

Website of New York Times Opinion