(Astronomical) suffering risks, also known as s-risks, are risks of the creation of intense suffering in the far future on an astronomical scale, vastly exceeding all suffering that has existed on Earth so far.
S-risks are an example of existential risk (also known as x-risks) according to Nick Bostrom's original definition, as they threaten to "permanently and drastically curtail [Earth-originating intelligent life's] potential". Most existential risks are of the form "event E happens which drastically reduces the number of conscious experiences in the future". S-risks therefore serve as a useful reminder that some x-risks are scary because they cause bad experiences, and not just because they prevent good ones.
Within the space of x-risks, we can distinguish x-risks that are s-risks, x-risks involving human extinction, x-risks that involve immense suffering and human extinction, and x-risks that involve neither. For example:...