An Open-Ended Etiology & Pathogenesis

Abstract

With this statement, the famous Greek philosopher stresses the importance of investigating into the causes of things to understand them. Knowledge of the parts constituting weapons proliferation (its anatomy) is crucial. So is knowledge of the way in which it functions or operates (its physiology). Anatomical and physiological knowledge, however, is insufficient to fully grasp the phenomenon at hand. To do so, it is essential to come to grips with the very agents that induce it. Put differently, it is necessary to study its etiology and pathogenesis, that is, its causes in medical terms. Although we like to think that we live in an age when it has become second nature to assume that solutions to problems requires comprehension of their causes, the virtues of providing in-depth answers to the “why?” question remain too often neglected. This chapter assesses the validity of Albert Wohlstetter’s second assumption that high-leverage weapons will proliferate relentlessly throughout the world because its causes are deterministic.

We do not know the truth without the knowledge of cause.

—Aristotle (McMahon 1887:48)