Rotblat: An Introduction
Professor Sir Joseph Rotblat was a distinguished scientist who made significant contributions to nuclear physics, worked on the development of the atomic bomb (he was the only scientist to leave the Manhattan Project where these weapons of mass destruction were being developed) and was suspected of being a soviet spy. Rotblat was appalled when nuclear weapons were used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, although he did work, albeit for a short time, on their development and in his view with little impact. He then dedicated himself to the medical uses of nuclear physics and radiation taking up the post of Professor of Physics (as applied to medicine) at St. Bartholomew’s Medical College, University of London. Joseph Rotblat made major contributions to this field, becoming one of the world’s leading researchers in to the biological effects of radiation. Rotblat was to develop the view that scientists were responsible for the consequences of their work and scientific research should be for the benefit of humanity, a driving principle in his life and work being that scientists cannot dissociate themselves from the consequences of their work, however difficult to predict.
Rotblat became a peace campaigner and his life from the early 1950s, until his death in August 2005 was devoted to the abolition of nuclear weapons and the promotion of world peace. His work ranked with that of Albert Einstein and Bertrand Russell. Rotblat helped found The Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, and together with Pugwash he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1995. Rotblat promoted dialogue between Soviet and western scientists during the Cold War, initiated discussions to end the Vietnam War and was instrumental in bringing about a partial nuclear weapons test-ban treaty.
This web-site describes his personal background and circumstances, summarize his life, achievements, contributions to humanity and emphasise his views on the moral responsibilities of the scientist and the impact of these strongly held beliefs on his life and work. The material will be drawn, largely, from Rotblat’s Archive that is becoming available in The Churchill Archives Centre, Churchill College, University of Cambridge and provides many new insights into Rotblat’s work in nuclear weapons and the biological effects of radiation, his efforts to eliminate these weapons and the pursuit of peace.
The purpose of this web-site is that as new material becomes available from The Churchill College Archive, I will post brief summaries that will permit the rapid propagation of information and hopefully stimulate even greater interest in one of the great heroes of the twentieth century. The new material is contained within 'News from the Archive'.