Module 2 / Lesson 3.2
The Anthropocene - Humanity’s Unique Era
How has humanity’s risk profile shifted from natural disasters to human created hazards, and what does it mean to live in the Anthropocene.
3.2.1 History of Nuclear Existential Risk (Ord pages 22 to 27)
- Learning: Read Ord, pages 22 to 27.
- Reflection: Reflect on key moments such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, nuclear proliferation, and documented near misses that almost resulted in civilizational collapse.
3.2.2 Constant Natural vs Increasing Manmade Risks (Ord pages 28 to 32)
- Learning: Read Ord, pages 28 to 32.
- Reflection: Consider how natural risks such as asteroids, volcanic activity, and supernovas have been relatively stable for millennia, while manmade risks such as nuclear, biotech, advanced AI, and climate change have grown rapidly with technological capability.
- Additional Note: In recent decades, manmade risks have exceeded natural risks in annual expected threat, as shown in Ord’s risk comparison graph.
3.2.3 The Anthropocene, A New Era (Ord page 33)
- Learning:
- Read Ord, page 33.
- Watch Anthropocene: A Short Introduction .
- Reflection: Compare the concept of the Anthropocene with the idea of the Precipice. Consider how they overlap and differ in describing the pivotal nature of our era.
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