Chapter 95: The Nobel Peace Prize Should Go To Him!
“Let’s return to the previous logic.
I believe both sides have enough rationality and will not trigger nuclear war, because it benefits no one.
What we need to do now is seek humanity’s future, not destroy humanity, right?
Compared to Einstein, I am an optimist. I believe in humanity’s wisdom and that humanity will not reach the brink of extinction.
But the current situation is indeed tense. Coming to London this time, I can sense this tense atmosphere from England’s newspapers, including the unfriendly attitude toward me in the Daily Mail you just mentioned, which I think is also a manifestation of this tense atmosphere.
Therefore, I call here for there to be a mechanism between the Soviet Union and America to avoid reaching the step of humanity’s destruction.
I suggest that both sides establish a direct line from the White House to the Kremlin, so that the leaders of the two countries have a direct and quick communication channel.
Imagine if there had been such a pipe before this Berlin Crisis, President Kennedy could call first: ‘Hey brother, I think we can talk.’
I think things might not have reached this point.”
The idea proposed by Lin Ran is historically called the “hotline,” born in 1963 after the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Of course, this hotline was initially not a telephone but a system based on telegraph, connecting Washington and Moscow, transmitting information via Nordic and transatlantic cables.
The first message from the White House to the Kremlin read: “The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog’s back 1234567890”
Freeman listened thoughtfully, “Great idea.”
Lin Ran added: “We rarely have a space of peace for competition. Nuclear weapons have created such a space for us, but they are also a threat to humanity. We should avoid the worst possibility.
Such a direct line could become humanity’s last firewall.
I think it is necessary.”
Europe fears war the most globally.
After all, both world wars had Europe as the main battlefield.
Old Europe, which had only just enjoyed about ten years of peace, was shrouded in the shadow of the cold war, but cold is much better than hot.
After Lin Ran finished his suggestion, Freeman was impressed. In this era, this was a epoch-making suggestion.
Although it sounds like just an emergency communication channel, to people of insight, it is indeed a very effective suggestion.
Plus, Lin Ran packaged it with the concept of humanity’s last firewall.
Freeman said: “Sir Lin, I know that besides being a mathematician, you are also studying philosophical thought with Professor Horkheimer. To many people, you are a Descartes-like figure of this era. My colleagues around me have always said so, and this time I really believe it.”
Besides being the founder of analytic geometry and proposing the Cartesian coordinate system that laid the foundation for modern mathematics, Descartes also made outstanding contributions in the field of philosophy. His famous saying “I think, therefore I am” is in a sense the starting point of modern philosophy.
Additionally, Descartes not only had famous sayings but also developed methodological doubt in “Meditations on First Philosophy,” attempting to establish a solid foundation for knowledge and proposing mind-body dualism.
Although Lin Ran himself did not join the Fabian Society, because of Descartes, he has considerable prestige in the Fabian Society, and many Fabian Society members have special expectations of him.
Behind this is also the existence of Descartes’ influence. From a historical context, Descartes emphasized rationality and systematic thinking, which is a core concept of the Enlightenment. The influence of Enlightenment thought includes the founders of the Fabian Society.
They advocated solving problems through education and rational analysis rather than resorting to violence, which broadly aligns with Descartes’ rational spirit.
The founders of the Fabian Society were deeply inspired by Bentham and Müller’s utilitarianism and Comte’s positivism, and these schools of thought indirectly inherited Descartes’ rational tradition.
So when Freeman mentions colleagues around him, they are probably Fabian Society members.
There is somewhat the idea that the Fabian Society can trace its roots back to Descartes, and now a master-level figure who spans philosophy and mathematics has appeared, who might bring new theoretical sources to the Fabian Society, help them grow further, and find the path to the future.
Additionally, compared to Descartes who focused on theoretical research, Lin Ran personally entered politics, becoming a senior official at the White House. From media reports, his political tactics are not bad.
This led European intellectuals to have even higher expectations of him.
This may seem far-fetched in modern times, but in that era, many intellectuals really thought this way.
This is the worst of times, and at the same time, the best of times.
However, after hearing Freeman’s words, Lin Ran knew it was praise but was not particularly happy. Instead, he thought that at the moment when his life reached its end, he must not die in the 60 spacetime.
Because after Descartes’ death, his tomb was excavated by grave robbers, and his skull changed hands several times and ended up in a museum. Lin Ran certainly did not want his skull to meet such a fate. Chinese people still follow the tradition of returning to one’s roots and being buried.
Freeman’s remark did not pause too long. He continued: “Sir Lin, do you think your suggestion will be adopted? As a senior official at the White House, will you propose it to President Kennedy after returning to Washington?”
Lin Ran replied without hesitation: “Of course.
Whether the Bay of Pigs Invasion or the current Berlin Crisis proves that insufficient communication poses great danger.
I think we need to address such danger.”
Compared to the common 30-minute interviews on the Face to Face program, this interview with Lin Ran lasted a full hour.
Afterward, interviews by the BBC audience research department showed an estimated 8 million households watched this television interview.
Among them, the audience was most impressed by the “hotline” concept.
Interviews by major newspapers and television stations with European public also confirmed this indirectly:
“Professor Lin is a very wise person, worthy of being a mathematics master-level figure. I think his suggestion is excellent, and I hope the Kremlin and the White House will consider it.”
“Besides being a mathematician and aerospace expert, he is also a pragmatic technocrat. He knows clearly what to avoid and how to achieve his purpose.
The White House did not abandon appointing him due to pressure from the Elephant Party and his skin color; perhaps it is the only correct decision Kennedy made this year.”
“If the White House and the Kremlin really follow Professor Lin’s suggestion and establish a direct communication channel, I think next year’s Nobel Peace Prize should be awarded to him.”
