It is, of course, much easier to look back 5OO years than 5O years. Nonetheless, World War II, the Apollo moon landings, and the prospect of human genetic engineering raised most of the important issues we face in the
new Millennium in defining humanness, human rights and science’s responsibilities. Postmodernism can be dated from any of these, and each
holds its own lessons and cautions. Many scholars date postmodernism
from Hiroshima and the Holocaust one on an instantaneous annihilation,
the other a systematic one. Together, their application of industrial techniques to human slaughter represents the death of our civilization’s dream
of moral and scientific progress that had characterized the modern age,
The nuclear age is much more ambiguous and uncertain. We now worship
science as societ5r’s new religion as the quest for everlasting life with God is
replaced by our new crusade for immortality on earth.
The modern human rights movement was born from the blood of World
War II and the death of the positive law belief that the only law that matters
is that which is enacted by a legitimate government, including the Nazi
Government. The multinational trial of the Nazi War criminals at Nuremberg
after World War II was held on the premise that there is a universal law of humanity and that those who violate it may be properly tried and
punished. Universal criminal law, law that applies to all humans and
protects all humans, outlaws crimes against humanity, including
State sanctioned genocide, murder, torture and slavery. Obeying the laws
of a particular country or the orders of superiors is no defense’

Answer

World War II, the Apollo moon landings, and advances in genetic engineering have shaped critical modern issues surrounding human identity, rights, and the role of science. Postmodernism is often traced back to the events of Hiroshima and the Holocaust, both symbolizing the collapse of civilization’s belief in moral and scientific progress. The nuclear age introduced uncertainty, with science becoming a new “religion” focused on earthly immortality. The modern human rights movement emerged from World War II, rejecting the notion that only government-enacted laws matter. The Nuremberg trials established universal criminal law, condemning crimes against humanity, regardless of national laws or orders.

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