Existential risk

In futurology, an existential risk is a risk that is both global and terminal. Nick Bostromdefines an existential risk as a risk "where an adverse outcome would either annihilate Earth-originating intelligent life or permanently and drastically curtail its potential." The term is frequently used in transhumanistand Singularitariancommunities to describe disaster and doomsdayscenarios caused by non-Friendlysuperintelligence, misuse of molecular nanotechnology, or other sources of danger.

Among the grimmest warnings of existential risks from advanced technology are those of computer scientist Bill Joy, who envisages the possibility of global destruction as new technologies become increasingly powerful and uncontrollable, and Martin Reeswho has written about an extensive range of risks to human survival. Environmentalist Bill McKibbenfears that human life will come to seem meaningless if certain historical limits to human technological capabilities are exceeded. The risk perceived here is psychological, rather than physical, but it would involve a universal and irreversible diminution of human life.

While transhumanismadvocates the development of advanced technologies to enhance human physical and cognitive capacities, transhumanist thinkers typically acknowledge that the same technologies could bring existential risks. Some transhumanists are engaged in consideration of how these risks might best be reduced or prevented.

Joel Garreau's book Radical Evolution contains extensive discussion of possible existential risks (and possible radical benefits) from emerging technologies.

Quote

Our approach to existential risks cannot be one of trial-and-error. There is no opportunity to learn from errors. The reactive approach ? see what happens, limit damages, and learn from experience ? is unworkable. Rather, we must take a proactive approach. This requires foresight to anticipate new types of threats and a willingness to take decisive preventive action and to bear the costs (moral and economic) of such actions.

-- Nick Bostrom

External links

• Organizations formed to prevent existential risks
  • The Center for Responsible Nanotechnology
  • The Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence
• Articles and Essays
  • Existential Risks: Analyzing Human Extinction Scenarios- The original essay by Nick Bostrom
  • Immortalist Utilitarianism- An essay by Michael Anissimov, the 5th section of which concerns existential risks
  • Human Survival Risks
  • Why the future doesn't need us, Wired, April 2000 - Bill Joy's influential call to relinquish "dangerous" technologies.

Bibliography

• Joel Garreau, Radical Evolution, 2005
• Martin Rees, Our Final Hour (UK title: "Our Final Century"), 2003, ISBN 0465068626

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Existential+risk Wikipedia article Existential risk.