Sakharov And Power On The Other Side Of The Window

This book is a testimony to the amazing life of Andrei Sakharov (1921-1989) — the great scientist and great man, the creator of the most terrible weapon in the history of mankind and at the same time the Nobel Peace Prize Winner. Sakharov's life is, one might say, an exciting detective story, a chain of incredible events, not accidental however, but dictated by the genius and fortitude of the protagonist. The theme of this book acquired new striking meanings after the 'Sakharov documents' of the KGB of the USSR and of the Politburo of the Soviet ruling Communist Party were declassified. 'I'm not on the top floor. I'm next to the top floor — on the other side of the window', Sakharov once joked, referring to the top floor of political power. This joke accurately reflects the uniqueness of his status, which has become his destiny.Andrei Sakharov is a giant among thought leaders who have shaped the fate of mankind. This book is an important commemoration of his 100th birthday to summarize his creative experience of 'producing miracles', which will help to find constructive solutions to the challenges of the 21st century. The peculiarity of this book is that the main storyteller is Sakharov himself: it collects the most significant quotes from his memoirs, alternate with vivid memories of people who knew him, offering documentaries and explanations.

Recently declassified documents show that Sakharov's metamorphosis was caused by professional concerns, particularly regarding the development of an antiballistic missile defense."--Jacket.

Blending inspirational memoir with a religious and political rebuke of American Christianity, the oldest daughter of Senator Robert F. Kennedy delivers a rousing call to arms for spiritual renewal.

Andrei Sakharov holds an honored place in the pantheon of the world's greatest scientists, reformers, and champions of human rights. But his embrace of human rights did not come through a sudden conversion; he came to it in stages. Drawing from a 2014 Hoover Institution conference focused on Sakharov's life and principles, this book tells the compelling story of his metamorphosis from a distinguished physical scientist into a courageous, outspoken dissident humanitarian voice.His extraordinary life saw him go from playing the leading role in designing and building the most powerful thermonuclear weapon (the so-called hydrogen bomb) ever exploded to demanding an end to the testing of such weapons and their eventual elimination. The essays detail his transformation, as he appealed first to his scientific colleagues abroad and then to mankind at large, for solidarity in resolving the growing threats to human survival—many of which stemmed from science and technology. Ultimately, the distinguished contributors show how the work and thinking of this eminent Russian nuclear physicist and courageous human rights campaigner can help find solutions to the nuclear threats of today.

This NATO Advanced Study Institute course provided an updated understanding, from a fundamental and deep point of view, of the progress and current problems in the early universe, cosmic microwave background radiation, large-scale struc ture, dark matter problem, and the interplay between them. Emphasis was placed on the mutual impact of fundamental physics and cosmology, both at the theo retical and experimental or observational levels, within a deep and well defined programme, and a global unifying view, which, in addition, provides of careful inter-disciplinarity. In addition, each course of this series introduced and promoted topics or sub jects which, although not of a purely astrophysical or cosmological nature, were of relevant physical interest for astrophysics and cosmology. Deep understanding, clarification, synthesis, and careful interdisciplinarity within a fundamental physics framework, were the main goals of the course. Lectures ranged from a motivation and pedagogical introduction for students and participants not directly working in the field to the latest developments and most recent results. All lectures were plenary, had the same duration, and were followed by a discus sion. The course brought together experimentalists and theoreticans physicists, astro physicists and astronomers from a wide variety of backgrounds, including young scientists at the post-doctoral level, senior scientists and advanced graduate stu dents as well.