Nuclear technology, however, changed the terms of the contract.
Where many pre-modern societies might view the irruption of disaster into the narrative of everyday life as a normal part of human experience, Americans, with their absolute faith in the power and felicity of technology, have tended to see continuation of everyday life as the norm, with technology serving as the force that prevents disaster from breaking into the pattern and causing catastrophe. Technology, and especially our expectation of its felicity, has increasingly defined the stance we take to the world, both natural and man-made.
In the face of every catastrophe, Americans have looked to technology to provide a buffer between a harsh nature and their fragile bodies and social structures, as well as to lead them into the future. One of the most fervently held beliefs of the American mind is a basic faith in progress, a belief that no matter what problems the world may present for us, our technology will protect us from the worst of its consequences.
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