James Dewar Boeken

This book presents a fundamentally different way of thinking about the space program and the role of nuclear rockets in it, arguing they require an infrastructure to become truly effective, an infrastructure that democratises it and opens space up to the common man. That must be the goal of a reconstituted program, not some kind of mission and not some scramble to a lunar base or manned mission to Mars. Those will come later, when conditions on earth are ripe for them, when all citizens can participate in their funding and profit from the conduct. Indeed, with a nuclear rocket, all citizens now can have personal access to space through a "free launch" program. The inevitable result of this would be massive amounts of cheap clean, energy from space.

This book presents a variety of techniques for rooting out assumptions that have gotten buried in one's thinking. It illustrates steps for monitoring all the vulnerable assumptions of a plan and for preparing the organization for the potential failure of those assumptions where control is not possible.

The book delves into the conflict between the pursuit of philosophical knowledge and the realities of marriage, suggesting that these two pursuits are fundamentally incompatible. Drawing on a variety of philosophical and literary sources, including Plato and Rousseau, the author illustrates the challenges faced when balancing intellectual aspirations with the demands of a committed relationship. Through personal anecdotes and examples, it offers a thought-provoking examination of the tensions between intellectual and emotional commitments, emphasizing the complexities of human relationships.