Elaine Scarry is the Cabot Professor of Aesthetics and the General Theory of Value at Harvard University. Her book The Body in Pain was a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
A few years ago General Lee Butler, former head of the U.S. Strategic Command, condemned the faith in nuclear weapons to which his life had been wrongly dedicated and the breathtaking audacity in maintaining them when we should stand trembling in the face of our folly and united in our commitment to abolish its most deadly manifestations. In this fascinating study, Elaine Scarry adds rich historical, philosophical, literary, and legal depth to Butler s grim warnings, with novel and provocative insights. That we have escaped disaster so far is a near miracle. Scarry s remarkable contribution should inspire us to abolish this colossal folly. --Noam Chomsky