Foundations

Abstract

This chapter describes the emergence of Peace and Conflict Studies (PCS) and Existential Risk Studies (ERS). This chapter traces both of these fields through their overlapping history and the influence of critical historical events such as the experiences of World Wars I and II, the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the development of nuclear weapons, and the subsequent antinuclear movements. The state of the art is then discussed in PCS and ERS.