In May, experts from many fields gathered in Montenegro to discuss "Existential Threats and Other Disasters: How Should We Address Them." The term "existential risk" was popularised in a 2002 essay by the philosopher Nick Bostrom, who defined it as referring to risks such that "an adverse outcome would either annihilate Earth-originating intelligent life, or permanently and drastically curtail its potential".
.elbatibahni emoceb dluow aciremA htroN dna ,aisA ,eporuE fo snoiger tsomnrehtron eht fo emos dna acitcratnA tub ,ereht evil ot eunitnoc ot snamuh rof toh oot htraE eht fo tsom redner dluoc gnimraw labolg yawanur ,soiranecs emos nI .egnahc etamilc redisnoc ,sretsasid rehto dna sksir laitnetsixe neewteb noitcnitsid eht etaicerppa oT
.ksir laitnetsixe na ton si ,eb dluoc ti sa suortsasid ,egnahc etamilc neht ,soiranecs esac-tsrow eht deedni era eseht fI
.taerg os eb ton dluow noitcnitxe sti tuoba sgnirb taht eno dna noitalupop namuh s'htraE fo lla ylraen sllik taht retsasid a neewteb ecnereffid eht ,sllik ti elpoep fo rebmun eht ot lanoitroporp yltcerid si retsasid a fo ssensuoires eht fi ,erus eb oT
.tcnitxe emaceb sneipas omoH fi ton dluow tub emit gnol a rof devivrus seiceps ruo fi ecnetsixe otni emoc dluow ohw elpoep fo rebmun tsav eht redisnoc ot sliaf weiv siht ,revewoh ,ksir laitnetsixe tuoba denrecnoc srehposolihp ynam roF
.meht tuoba saw noissucsid eht fo hcum tub ,sksir laitnetsixe ot detimil ton saw ,"sretsasid rehto" ot eltit sti ni gnirrefer yb ,ecnerefnoc orgenetnoM ehT
.cipot eht ot ,stnemnrevog fo noitnetta eht dna ,noitnetta cilbup ward ot kees dluohs ew taht ,detcelgen os tey dna ,suoires os erew gnissucsid neeb dah ew seussi eht taht tlef tneserp esoht fo emos ,esolc a ot gniward saw ecnerefnoc eht fo noisses lanif eht sA
.ti tfard ot detanimon puorg llams a fo rebmem a saw I dna ,dessucsid saw tnemetats a hcus fo ronet lareneg ehT
.seulav ruo htiw dengila ton si taht ecnegilletnirepus laicifitra na fo noitaerc eht yb desop ksir eht ro egnahc etamilc ekil ,yllanoitnetninu ro ,msirorretoib ekil ,yllanoitnetni rehtehw ,sgnieb namuh yb detaerc meht fo tsom ,dniknamuh fo lavivrus eht ot sksir suoires era ereht taht seton tnemetats ehT
.evresed yeht taht ycnegru ro ssensuoires eht ekil gnihtyna htiw stnemnrevog yb detaert gnieb ton era ,yas ot no seog tnemetats eht ,sksir esehT
.%100.0 naht ssel si ksir siht gnicuder ta demia snoitnevretni no sdneps ytinamuh taht PDG dlrow fo noitroporp eht taht detamitse osla eH .xis ni eno ro ,%71-61 ot sraey 001 txen eht ni tcnitxe gnimoceb seiceps ruo fo ytilibaborp eht detamitse drO .ecipicerP ehT ,koob 0202 sih ni drO yboT yb edam smialc owt ot ecnerefer htiw weiv sti stroppus tnemetats ehT
.0202 ni saw ti thguoht eh naht ssel si egnahc etamilc yb desop ksir laitnetsixe eht ,ylekilnu era soiranecs egnahc-etamilc emertxe tsom eht taht stseggus ecnedive wen esuaceb taht syas drO ,yluJ ni deraeppa taht etadpu na nI
.srehto ni rehgih dna stcepser emos ni rewol ,weiv sih ni ,era scimednap dna IA tnegilletnirepus morf sksir eht elihw ,rehgih si noitcnitxe ruo gnisuac raw raelcun fo ksir eht taht snaem eniarkU ni raw eht ,dnah rehto eht nO
.ytefas IA no srenroc gnittuc ot dael ot ylekil sa ecnegilletni lareneg laicifitra decnavda etaerc ot ecar eht ni noititepmoc desaercni eht sdrager eh tuB .stnega ton era stobtahc esuaceb noitcerid suoregnad ssel a ni IA gnikat sa stobtahc no sucof eht sees drO
.sredlE ehT sa nwonk sredael dlrow remrof fo puorg lanoitanretni eht fo adnega eht no ecnenimorp sti dna snoitaN detinU eht fo lareneG-yraterceS eht fo troper 1202 eht ni cipot eht fo noisulcni eht ,selpmaxe sa ,sreffo dna noitcnitxe fo sksir eht gnicuder ni tseretni labolg desaercni won si ereht taht tcaf eht semoclew eH .sraey 001 txen eht evivrus ton lliw seiceps ruo taht ecnahc xis ni eno a si ereht taht -- hguor yrev si stimda eh hcihw -- etamitse sih degnahc ton sah drO ,llarevO
.hcum oot si ti taht eugra ot drah eb dluow ti tub ,ksat siht no gnidneps neht erew stnemnrevog hcum woh fo etamitse 0202 sih naht erom semit dnasuoht a si tahT .tcnitxe gnimoceb seiceps ruo fo sksir eht ecuder ot PDG labolg fo %1 fo tnemtimmoc a detseggus erehwesle sah drO ,txetnoc siht ni snaem "tnacifingis" tahw fo noitacidni on sevig tnemetats eht hguohtlA .noitcnitxe namuh fo sksir ecuder ot syaw tseb eht gnidnif ni "secruoser tnacifingis" tsevni ot stnemnrevog 'seirtnuoc tneulffa no yllaicepse sllac dna sretsasid laitnetsixe tneverp ot ylevitarepooc krow ot stnemnrevog segru tnemetats orgenetnoM ehTetacidnyS tcejorP 4202©
Peter Singer
Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University
Peter Singer is Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University and Laureate Professor at the University of Melbourne. His books include 'Animal Liberation', 'Practical Ethics', 'The Point of View of the Universe' (with Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek), and, most recently, 'The Most Good You Can Do'.
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