The Best of All Possible Worlds

It may seem to any rational observer that the good ole USA is at a nadir of sorts these days. And perhaps that is perhaps an understatement... What with a pending hyperinflationary blowout, "elite" geopoliticians deliberately provoking the Russians and the Chinese at a time when they both have demonstrated hypersonic weapons. And China marches forward in space while the US flounders as usual. 

Oh, and did I mention the corona virus and possible civil war here at home? 

However, if the observant reader amongst you has taken notice of the banner on this little old site directly above, I am yet of the opinion (if I may be permitted to use that much abused term) that just as in Poe's Pit and the Pendulum  after we begin to come to grips with the shock and terror of our headlong careen toward oblivion,  a determined and grim sort of rationality response takes hold of us. And we begin the agonizing process of blood and sweat problem solving even in this most dire of circumstances. Recall to mind that back in Poe's days we were headed for a cataclysmic civil war too. And yet somehow the cavalry, in the form of Abraham Lincoln saved the Union at the very last moment...

So Voltaire, the misanthropic pessimist, satirized Leibniz in Candide as a befuddled and constantly falsely optimistic Dr. Pangloss glowingly opining upon the beset of all the possible plagues visited upon mankind his renowned adage that this is the best of all possible worlds.

And yet... Here we are with the advent of commercialized nuclear fusion. And this point is key  it is not just an alternative energy source. I personally spent some twenty odd years out flogging the premise to all and sundry that would take note on the contrary the technology is potentially transformative. And I implore you for God's sake do read this tremendous write up by my former colleague Marjorie Mazel Hecht on the advent of the Fusion Torch here. If you would like proof of why this is indeed what the title of this post claims. 

Enough said.

The preamplifiers of the National Ignition Facility are the first step in increasing the energy of laser beams as they make their way toward the target chamber. Credit: Damien Jemison/LLNL