Atomic wonderland

Science and progress in twentiethcentury Australia

Timothy Paul Sherratt

A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor ofPhilosophy of The Australian National UniversityJuly 2003

Statement

This thesis contains no material which has previously been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other institution and, to the best of my knowledge, contains no material previously published or written by another person,except where due reference is made in the text of the thesis.

Abstract

The development and use of the atomic bomb was a turning point in history. It seemsso obvious—the world was changed, a new age dawned. But this was not the firstturning point, nor the last. History is littered with critical moments, crossroads, watersheds and points of decision. Each brings a new sense of urgency, each drawsrenewed attention to the fate of humankind, but the moment soon passes and theurgency fades...until next time. This thesis uses the dawn of the atomic age in Australia as the inspiration for anexamination, not of key moments, but of the journey that sweeps through them—thisthing we call progress. It is a journey that carries us from past to future, from old tonew; a journey where space and time exchange metaphors and meanings. But where doindividual hopes fit within the march of civilisation? How are our ambitions andachievements measured alongside the growth of nations or the development of science?Progress imagines a steady passage onwards, but we know that our own journeys arecircuitous and intermittent. We stop, we go back, we think ahead, we live in the past. This thesis shifts between individual and nation, from the dreams of a disappointedpoet, to the terrifying power of the atom. Traversing much of twentieth century Australia, it examines the interactions between science and the state, between knowledgeand power. Where have we sought the key to progress and who has been grantedauthority to speak in its name? What dangers have emerged to threaten our destiny, and where have we sought protection? Answers are to be found by charting the shifting boundaries of trust and authority, participation and control, that separate science andpublic, citizen and state.