Should We Care About Existential Risk?

In this episode we’re joined by Federal Member for Fenner, the Honorable Dr Andrew Leigh MP, and philosopher and emeritus professor of bioethics at Princeton University, Peter Singer, to consider if we should value the lives of unborn future generations, more than we value those of us alive today. 

The consideration of lives unborn sits at the heart of ‘existential risk’. It asks us to take seriously all the future generations who, if humanity gets it right, could end up far far more numerous than every life lived to date. We could in fact, be just at the beginning of our beautiful journey as a species. But we do face a number of very real risks that could literally destroy us all - biowarfare, climate change and AI to name but a few.

So, should we spend our limited resources helping the poorest and most in need today, wherever they live? Or should we divert resources to reduce the sorts of risks which, if left unchecked, could prevent countless generations from coming into existence at all?

Peter Singer - Bio

Peter Singer is emeritus professor of bioethics at Princeton University. He has a background in philosophy and works mostly in practical ethics. He is best known for Animal Liberation and for his writings about global poverty.

In 2021, Peter received the Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture. The prize comes with $1 million, which Peter donated to the most effective organizations working to assist people in extreme poverty and to reduce the suffering of animals in factory farms.

Peter is the founder of The Life You Can Save, an organization based on his book of the same name.

His writings in this area include the 1972 essay “Famine, Affluence, and Morality”, in which Peter argues for donating to help the global poor, and two books that make the case for effective giving, The Life You Can Save (2009, 2nd edition 2019) and The Most Good You Can Do (2015).

Andrew Leigh

Andrew Leigh is the Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities, Treasury and Employment, and Federal Member for Fenner in the ACT. Prior to being elected in 2010, Andrew was a professor of economics at the Australian National University. He holds a PhD in Public Policy from Harvard, having graduated from the University of Sydney with first class honours in Arts and Law. Andrew is a past recipient of the Economic Society of Australia's Young Economist Award and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Social Sciences.

His books include Innovation + Equality: How to Create a Future That Is More Star Trek Than Terminator (with Joshua Gans) (2019), Reconnected: A Community Builder's Handbook (with Nick Terrell) (2020), What's the Worst That Could Happen? Existential Risk and Extreme Politics (2021), Fair Game: Lessons From Sport for a Fairer Society and a Stronger Economy (2022) and The Shortest History of Economics (2024).

Andrew is a keen Ironman triathlete and marathon runner, and hosts a podcast called The Good Life: Andrew Leigh in Conversation, about living a happier, healthier and more ethical life.

CREDITS

Your hosts are Lloyd Vogelman and Emile Sherman

This podcast is proud to partner with The Ethics Centre

Find Lloyd @LloydVogelman on Linked in

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This podcast is produced by Jonah Primo and Sabrina Organo

Find Jonah at jonahprimo.com or @JonahPrimo on Instagram

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