“Here, then, is the problem which we present to you, stark and dreadful, and inescapable: Shall we put an end to the human race: or shall mankind renounce war?”
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Source: Russell–Einstein Manifesto, collective statement signed by Einstein, 9 July 1955
About this quote
The manifesto presents war as an existential choice rather than an ordinary instrument of policy. Because this sentence belongs to a collective statement signed by Einstein and other scientists, its page should preserve that shared authorship context.
When to use it
- Diplomats evaluate nuclear escalation by its risk to civilization rather than only short-term advantage.
- Teachers use the manifesto to compare national interests with obligations to humanity as a whole.
- Citizens ask whether military doctrines reduce conflict or make species-level catastrophe more likely.