(August 5, 2015 at 9:29 pm)Chuck Wrote: In the prevailing conditions in Japan in 1945, when most military installation accessible to pin point strike from off shore has already been destroyed, yet japan's will to resist appear to be unbroken and Japan's ability to resist still appeared considerable, it was not possible to not hit japan in ways that would hurt, and it was not possible to hit japan in any way that would hurt that does not involve hitting mostly civilians.
If the U.S. had actually cared whether thousands of Japanese civilians died or not, they could have told the Japanese that the U.S. had such a bomb and suggested demonstrating that it worked, without blowing up cities. But the simple fact is, the U.S. did not care about the Japanese people, and were totally okay with using them in a demonstration. That is why "virgin" targets were selected. And they were "virgin" targets because actual military targets within range had already been attacked.
"A wise man ... proportions his belief to the evidence."
— David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Section X, Part I.
