The Untold Story Behind the Race for the Atomic Bomb
Today’s guest is Neal Stephenson, the bestselling author of Snow Crash, The Diamond Age, and Cryptonomicon. His latest novel, D: Heavy Water, revisits the early days of World War II, when scientists were racing to understand nuclear fission and a secret mission sought to keep a crucial ingredient for atomic weapons out of Nazi hands.
Nick Gillespie talks with Stephenson about what drew him to this forgotten chapter of history and how revolutionary idealism can give way to authoritarianism. The conversation also explores the internet’s early promise of decentralization, how Big Tech came to dominate it, and why the metaverse hasn’t lived up to the vision Stephenson introduced in Snow Crash. They discuss his early work with Jeff Bezos at Blue Origin, President Donald Trump’s disruption of American politics, and why Stephenson believes the West’s Enlightenment values remain worth defending.
0:00—The failure of the metaverse
9:59—Did the internet fail on its original promise?
14:36—The impact of technology conglomerates
17:22—What we get wrong about the Puritans
21:45—Mother Earth Mother Board
25:14—Blue Origin and space exploration
31:22—D: Heavy Water synopsis
35:49—Creating characters with nuance
40:00—Francoists
41:29—Atomic bomb development
44:13—Communism
46:22—Cryptonomicon
50:06—The Big U
52:46—Stephenson’s literary influences
55:23—Democracy and politics
1:00:28—The aftermath of 9/11
1:05:34—Faith and science
Previous Reason features:
“Neal Stephenson’s Past, Present, and Future,” by Mike Godwin
“Wiki Magazines on the Way, Neal Stephenson Is Awesome,” by Katherine Mangu-Ward
“Intelligence at Work,” by Anders Monsen
“If We Told You Neal Stephenson Invented Bitcoin, Would You Be Surprised?” by Peter Suderman
“Neal Stephenson Wants to Tell Big Stories,” by Tyler Cowen
“Neal Stephenson’s Polostan Is a Compact Epic About Communism, Science, and the Dawn of the Atomic Age,” by Peter Suderman
The post The Untold Story Behind the Race for the Atomic Bomb appeared first on Reason Magazine.
Source: https://reason.com/podcast/2026/10/28/the-untold-story-behind-the-race-for-the-atomic-bomb/
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