Existential Risks: The Biggest Threats to Life as We Know It with Luke Kemp

Existential Risks: The Biggest Threats to Life as We Know It with Luke Kemp

(Conversation recorded on October 22nd, 2024)

The human system as we know it today – which powers our economies, global supply chains, and social contracts – is a fragile network based on innumerable complex components. Yet we rarely stop to recognize its many vulnerabilities, instead taking for granted that it will continue to securely operate indefinitely. But if we take a more careful look, how can we assess the risks of major catastrophic events that could destroy life as we know it?

Today, Nate is joined by Luke Kemp, a researcher whose work is focused on existential risks (or X-risks), which encompass threats of human extinction, societal collapse, and dystopian futures. How can we begin to understand the likelihood and gravity of these ruinous events, and what kinds of responses from people and governments could further undermine social cohesion and resilience?

What roles do human biases, hierarchical power structures, and the development of technologies, like artificial intelligence and geoengineering, play in X-risks? How can we collaborate across industries to protect our modern systems through effective risk management strategies? And in what ways do our institutions need to become more inclusive to better democratize decision-making processes, leading to safer futures for humanity?

About Luke Kemp:

Luke is a Research Affiliate at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk (CSER) and Darwin College at the University of Cambridge. His research focuses on understanding the history and future of extreme global risk. Luke has advised the WHO and multiple international institutions, and his work has been covered by media outlets such as the BBC, New York Times, and the New Yorker. He holds both a Doctorate in International Relations and a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies with first class honours from the Australian National University (ANU). His first book on the deep history and future of societal collapse (titled Goliath's Curse) will be published with Penguin in June 2025.

Show Notes and More

Watch this video episode on YouTube

---

Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future

Join our Substack newsletter

Join our Discord channel and connect with other listeners

Jaksot(359)

Nothing Can Stop This Train: Our Financial Predicament From a Systems Perspective with Lyn Alden

Nothing Can Stop This Train: Our Financial Predicament From a Systems Perspective with Lyn Alden

Money, debt, and finance shape the lives of everyone globally, including through the policies and actions of national central banks – yet even those who are well-versed in these subjects often miss th...

30 Heinä 20251h 39min

Towards Individual Wisdom & Restraint

Towards Individual Wisdom & Restraint

In this Earth Day presentation, recorded earlier this year, Nate offers nine broad paths for individuals to cultivate resilience in an increasingly uncertain and unstable period of human history. From...

25 Heinä 202542min

The Packaging Revolution: Industry's Responsibility & the Innovations That Could Mitigate the Waste Crisis with Wes Carter

The Packaging Revolution: Industry's Responsibility & the Innovations That Could Mitigate the Waste Crisis with Wes Carter

Packaging is an unavoidable feature of modern life. It's so embedded in our products and systems that even the most environmentally-minded consumers struggle to avoid it entirely. Yet packaging accoun...

23 Heinä 20251h 39min

This Week's Learnings: Corn Sweat, Coral Bleaching, and the Climate Credit Crunch | Frankly 102

This Week's Learnings: Corn Sweat, Coral Bleaching, and the Climate Credit Crunch | Frankly 102

In this week's Frankly, Nate shares a handful of things he's learned in the past few days that have implications for the Great Simplification. Nate covers a wide range of topics in this edition, from ...

18 Heinä 202515min

The Myths Shaping Our Economies: The Disconnect between Economic Theory and Reality with Josh Farley

The Myths Shaping Our Economies: The Disconnect between Economic Theory and Reality with Josh Farley

Economic theory has come to wield outsized influence over our societal goals, decisions, and policies – often relying on models that claim to optimize how human systems function. Yet the outcomes of o...

16 Heinä 20251h 35min

What I Want to Want for the Future | Frankly 101

What I Want to Want for the Future | Frankly 101

In today's Frankly, Nate imagines that he's looking back from an unspecified point in the future (even from beyond his lifetime), and ponders the core things he would want during his time on Earth. Br...

11 Heinä 202513min

Moving from Apathy to Action: How Facing Grief Can Help Us Navigate a World in Crisis | Reality Roundtable #17

Moving from Apathy to Action: How Facing Grief Can Help Us Navigate a World in Crisis | Reality Roundtable #17

When facing the realities of our world, the urge to drown in grief or shut down into apathy is becoming more and more common. As we are flooded with information and global predicaments outside of our ...

9 Heinä 20251h 18min

Ask Nate Anything 2025 | Frankly 100

Ask Nate Anything 2025 | Frankly 100

In today's Frankly, Nate reads and responds to questions from viewers of the channel, offering reflections on a wide range of topics from current events, balancing fear and action surrounding often ex...

27 Kesä 202534min

Suosittua kategoriassa Tiede

rss-mita-tulisi-tietaa
rss-poliisin-mieli
rss-duodecim-lehti
tiedekulma-podcast
rss-lihavuudesta-podcast
docemilia
utelias-mieli
mielipaivakirja
radio-antro
sotataidon-ytimessa
filocast-filosofian-perusteet
rss-laakaripodi
rss-mental-race
rss-opeklubi
rss-luontopodi-samuel-glassar-tutkii-luonnon-ihmeita
rss-sosiopodi