The psychology of existential risks

Talk by Geoffrey Miller on 'The psychology of existential risks' at the Human Behavior and Evolution Society (HBES) annual meeting, in Boston, June 2019 (17 minutes). Video by Yzar Wehbe.

Gives an Effective Altruism perspective on X-risks like nuclear war, genetically engineered bioweapons, and Artificial General Intelligence, and identifies some psychological challenges in managing these X-risks effectively.

[bradbecker]

The addition of this channel has made my day! Looking forward to more content, great stuff!

[hourmazdmar]

Love your work!

More videos please 😍

[marz]

I agree with most of what was said, except the part about global warming to an extent. Although it doesn't directly present itself as an X-risk, global warming acts as an amplifier for other X-risks. I believe it does so by reducing finite resources such as airable and habitable land, water, and breathable air. This reduction in resources would increase the likelihood of things like thermonuclear war (and war in general).

[germanaquila]

Give away that paper on aliens or I'll try to make contact with them

[germanaquila]

I would love to read that paper on aliens

[kpathfinder]

If we consider the full models of threats to our civilization and to life of each person, then it becomes obvious that the Humanity's Expansion into Space and the radical change in the ideological foundations and in education systems by introduction in them the meaning and criterial basis of indestructibility and power of mankind would allow to fend off the greatest number of threats to humanity and to each person. Если рассматривать полную модель угроз нашей цивилизации и жизни каждого человека, то становится очевидно, что космическая экспансия (колонизация Космоса), наряду с координальным изменением мировоззренческих основ и системы образования (внедрения в нее смыслов и критериальных основ неуничтожимости и могущества человечества), являются основными направлениями, позволяющим парировать наибольшее количества угроз человечеству и каждому человеку.

[Lockjaw]

Will you be opening up about how you were radicalized at a zoo?