"Nuclear Rites" is a book based on the fieldwork of Professor Hugh Gusterson who conducted his research at a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, near San Francisco. As an anthropologist and a former antinuclear activist, the author set out to examine the scientists in order to understand why they do what they do. He was convinced that the American public needs a cultural perspective when it comes to nuclear weapons. In order to understand the arms race we must understand the people who design
             The main thesis of this book is to present to the reader the ideology and socialization processes held by nuclear scientists. Are these weapons of mass destruction designed only to deter wars, not to fight them? Is it moral and ethical to work on them? Both the liberal and conservative scientists express agreement on this issue. The author aims to understand the scientist's frame of mind, thus revealing the culture that has developed in their community to the general public. People involved in designing nuclear weapons and people involved in antinuclear movements have different but deeply held convictions. The scientists see their work as honorable, even patriotic. Their view is what's referred to as a "realist" point of view. It states that the world is anarchic in its nature and the best way to protect your homeland is by relying on self-help. Nuclear weapons are the ultimate form of self-help because the
             aggressors will think twice before attacking a nuclear nation. The scientists believe in necessity of nuclear weapons because they have a stabilizing effect by deterring the two superpowers from attacking one another. This conviction was somewhat accurate during the cold war years, however since the collapse of Soviet Union and the events of 9/11 it has no relevance to the current state of international affairs. The antinuclear activists view nuclear weapons as genocidal weapons and the nuclear arms race as complete madn...