Unintended but irreversible effects

discoveries are far off, however. At worse, there is the slim chance of catastrophe. But no matter what happens the University cannot speak proudly of never having discussed the more thought provoking aspects of the research.

In the 1940s, when the United States was frantically racing against Hitler to develop the atomic bomb, there was no time to discuss the relative merits of nuclear power. The current situation is far different--there is time to discuss and evaluate. Harvard could even have asked the federal government to establish an agency for research, or set up debates on a national level. But instead the University will go ahead and build without ever once having its policy-makers think deeply about the long-term consequences.