TACIT KNOWLEDGE, WEAPONS DESIGN, AND THE UNINVENTION OF NUCLEAR-WEAPONS

Tacit knowledge, embodied in people rather than words, equations, or d iagrams, plays a vital role in science; The historical record of the d evelopment and spread of nuclear weapons and the recollections of thei r designers suggest that tacit knowledge is also crucial to nuclear we apons development. Therefore, if design ceases, and if there is no new generation of designers to whom that tacit knowledge can be passed, t hen in an important (though qualified) sense nuclear weapons will have been uninvented. Their renewed development would thus have some of th e characteristics of reinvention rather than simply copying. In additi on, knowledge may be lost not only as a result of complete disarmament , but also as a consequence of likely measures such as a nuclear test ban.