Rationally Speaking Podcast

Humanity on the precipice (Toby Ord)

16 snips
Dec 10, 2021
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
INSIGHT

Humanity's Precipice and Potential

  • Humanity could thrive for millions of years or even trillions if it survives existential risks.
  • Our history is on a precipice where modern power technologies pose risks that could end our future potential.
ANECDOTE

Shift to Existential Risk Focus

  • Toby Ord shifted focus from global poverty to existential risk after meeting Nick Bostrom.
  • He initially found the existential risk perspective contrarian and struggled with its abstract nature.
INSIGHT

Defining Existential Catastrophe

  • Existential catastrophes include extinction, irreversible civilization collapse, or locked-in dystopias.
  • These outcomes destroy humanity's long-term potential, not necessarily requiring complete extinction.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app