timtyler comments on Existential Risk - Less Wrong

28 Post author: lukeprog 15 November 2011 02:23PM

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Comment author: timtyler 16 November 2011 08:03:40PM *  4 points [-]

Presumably, in the long term, extinction risk will decrease, as civilisation spreads out.

Increased risks have been accompanied by increased risk control - and it is not obvious how these things balance out. Pinker suggests going by death by violence in his latest book - and indeed the risk of death by violence is in decline.

Superpowers and world-spanning companies duking it out does not necessarily lead to global security in the short term, though. Most current trends seem positive and probably things will continue to improve - but it is hard to be sure - since technological history is still fairly short.