Nuclear energy and the public - analysis of a disturbed relationship

This work attempts to analyze the negative stance taken by parts of the population of the Federal Republic of Germany in view of nuclear energy. To the author, such a negative stance seems to spring from a disturbed relationship to today's state of knowledge and modern technology, particularly to the state of safety and to the true risk of nuclear technology. In his search for the reasons for these disturbances the author points out: how anxieties make man in our time feel insecure; how information deficits, half-truths and communication disorders provide a base of insecurity, what position is taken by the Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe in the so-called 'nuclear controversy'. By patient, detailed, and sincere information work, a large research center can, with the weight of its expert knowledge, help to inform the public. (orig./HSCH)