Becoming a Weapons Scientist

“Becoming a Weapons Scientist” delved into the psyches and motivations of why the scientists chose to work in a nuclear weapons facility. As a psychology and anthropology double major, I found this article very interesting in how it dealt with the individual and how the individual came to understand his or her place inside the lab. The article focused mostly on Sylvia and how her family connection to the nuclear bombing in Hiroshima motivated her to get into the work of nuclear weapons. She shares that she wanted to work in a nuclear weapons lab, because “‘…I had a fear of big weapons. I really wanted to see what was happening for myself. I wanted to see what was going on, rather than take other people’s word”’ (Gusterson, 15).  

            Throughout the article, the readers come to see that the scientists are proud of their work and do not feel conflicted about the ethical or moral debates that one might assume them to have because of their job. Gusterson came to realize that he had simply been projecting his own feelings onto these scientists. Through his own self-reflection, he reminds the readers that it is important to not let one’s own stereotypes and projections affect how we view a member of a different culture, be it a laboratory culture, religious culture, or otherwise.  

            I think readers also learned a lot about Gusterson throughout this article, which was interesting because I do not think I have ever learned this much about the anthropologist himself. He shared with the readers a lot of self-reflections and his own experiences with nuclear weapons. I would not classify him as either a silent participant nor an active participant; he was somewhere in the middle where he was not necessarily partaking in the work of the lab, but he very much had his own role in the lab and helped expose the scientists to the anti-nuclear weapon position.