Making Sense with Sam Harris

Special Episode: Engineering the Apocalypse

Apr 24, 2021

Rob Reid, a tech entrepreneur and science fiction writer, discusses the urgent threat of engineered pandemics. He reveals that the risk of artificial pathogens surpasses our understanding and emphasizes the need for proactive preparedness. Topics include the ethical dilemmas of manipulating dangerous viruses, the necessity of a global immune system, and the innovative use of far UVC light technology to combat diseases. Reid urges comprehensive regulatory frameworks and investments in health infrastructure to mitigate both synthetic and natural biological risks.

03:41:22

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Episode guests

Rob Reid

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Episode notes

Intro

4min

Viruses, Mortality, and Ethical Dilemmas

5min

Navigating Catastrophic Biological Risks

25min

Pandemic Risks: Natural vs. Synthetic

11min

The Risks and Rewards of Democratizing Synthetic Biology

26min

The Perils of Synthetic Biology

21min

Building a Global Immune System

19min

Early Detection in Epidemic Management

13min

Investing in Pandemic Preparedness

5min

10.

Screening for Biosecurity in Synthetic Biology

7min

11.

Lessons from COVID-19: Advancing Pandemic Preparedness

30min

12.

Advancing Pandemic Preparedness

26min

13.

Exploring Far UVC Light Technology in Pandemic Prevention

4min

14.

Reevaluating the BCG Vaccine

7min

15.

Addressing Antibiotic Resistance and Vaccine Development

6min

16.

Ethics and Expediency in Vaccine Trials

13min

In this nearly 4-hour SPECIAL EPISODE, Rob Reid delivers a 100-minute monologue (broken up into 4 segments, and interleaved with discussions with Sam) about the looming danger of a man-made pandemic, caused by an artificially-modified pathogen. The risk of this occurring is far higher and nearer-term than almost anyone realizes.

Rob explains the science and motivations that could produce such a catastrophe and explores the steps that society must start taking today to prevent it. These measures are concrete, affordable, and scientifically fascinating—and almost all of them are applicable to future, natural pandemics as well. So if we take most of them, the odds of a future Covid-like outbreak would plummet—a priceless collateral benefit.

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