Jane Goodall and Jonathan Granoff suggest to Paula Gordon and Bill Russell that the horror of possible nuclear war is what keeps environmentalists from talking about it. Luck is how the world has avoided a nuclear conflagration, they say.

7:34

Mr. Granoff considers what would happen if the world reversed what is spent on military expenditures and on sustainability. The human disconnect between the clever brain and the compassionate heart make us a dangerous creature, Dr. Goodall says. Mr. Granoff worries we haven’t taken a look at the true dynamic that nuclear weapons generates -- terror and fear. Dr. Goodall explores the possibilities that reside in language and stories. Mr. Granoff describes the profoundly positive effect that the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty has had for decades. Treaties are the supreme law of the land, he (a lawyer) says, then reports on countries who did not develop nuclear weapons and who are now urging the U.S. to honor its commitment to disarm.

11:31

When one thinks about the threat of nuclear annihilation you can’t be apathetic, Dr. Goodall says, even if you’re scared.  She offers suggestions for what people can do once awakened. Mr. Granoff talks about what he sees as a plague of indifference. Dr. Goodall traces the evolutionary path of humans and strongly objects to values underlying a narrow minded materialist, consumer approach to life. She describes alternatives. Humans find fulfillment in serving one another, Mr. Granoff insists, or face dire consequences.

10:11

We are social beings who must learn to live within increasingly complex, disjointed societies, Dr. Goodall observes, expanding on enormous problems created by poverty and an unequal distribution of wealth. Mr. Granoff proposes harmony and justice as a path away from today’s dis-ease generated by not fulfilling our capacity for love and compassion.  Platypuses make an appearance. Dr. Goodall tells the story of Roots & Shoots. Mr. Granoff relates the rarely-heard story of the extraordinary success of inspections in Iraq prior to the US invasion.  Truth in a democracy is liberating, he insists, worried about dysfunctional consequences of one party running a government.

12:12

“Security” is a multi-dimensional concept, Mr. Granoff continues, with examples. Chimpanzees are certainly no longer secure, Dr. Goodall says.  She describes the devastating bushmeat trade that has resulted from timber companies invading African forests, and rich people around the world buying and eating humanity’s closest kin, the Great Apes -- chimpanzees, bonobos and gorillas -- and other wild creatures. Mr. Granoff compares how biological and chemical weapons are constrained to the very different approach applied to nuclear weapons. Dr. Goodall compares chimpanzee aggression in captivity and in the wild. The “Middle Power Initiative” is described. Law makes people more secure than war, Mr. Granoff insists, and Dr. Goodall describes how rules govern chimpanzee life.

12:09

The human community has found that the rule of force alone does not bring security, Mr. Granoff concludes, favoring bringing people into the political process and assuring justice in order to achieve security.  Dr. Goodall gives four powerful reasons she continues to have hope for the future.

4:41