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Thomas Moynihan
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X-Risk: How Humanity Discovered Its Own Extinction Kindle Edition

by Thomas Moynihan (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 out of 5 stars 25
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How humanity came to contemplate its possible extinction.

From forecasts of disastrous climate change to prophecies of evil AI superintelligences and the impending perils of genome editing, our species is increasingly concerned with the prospects of its own extinction. With humanity's future on this planet seeming more insecure by the day, in the twenty-first century, existential risk has become the object of a growing field of serious scientific inquiry. But, as Thomas Moynihan shows in X-Risk, this preoccupation is not exclusive to the post-atomic age of global warming and synthetic biology. Our growing concern with human extinction itself has a history.

Tracing this untold story, Moynihan revisits the pioneers who first contemplated the possibility of human extinction and stages the historical drama of this momentous discovery. He shows how, far from being a secular reprise of religious prophecies of apocalypse, existential risk is a thoroughly modern idea, made possible by the burgeoning sciences and philosophical tumult of the Enlightenment era. In recollecting how we first came to care for our extinction, Moynihan reveals how today's attempts to measure and mitigate existential threats are the continuation of a project initiated over two centuries ago, which concerns the very vocation of the human as a rational, responsible, and future-oriented being.
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  1. Print length
    501 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Urbanomic
  5. Publication date
    October 20, 2020
  6. File size
    12546 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Thinking about the end of everything has rarely been so enjoyable and enlightening."
--Anders Sandberg, Future of Humanity Institute

"An outstanding book--a true celebration of synthetic thinking about what is, almost by definition, the most important topic of the epoch."
--Milan M. Cirkovic, author of The Great Silence

Review

"An outstanding book—a true celebration of synthetic thinking about what is, almost by definition, the most important topic of the epoch."
—Milan M. Cirkovic, author of The Great Silence

"Thinking about the end of everything has rarely been so enjoyable and enlightening."
—Anders Sandberg, Future of Humanity Institute

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B084V7PYS8
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Urbanomic (October 20, 2020)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 20, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 12546 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 501 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 25

About the author

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Thomas Moynihan

Thomas Moynihan

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Thomas Moynihan studies the history of ideas, or 'Geistesgeschichte', particularly how changing conceptions of the cosmos have altered human self-conceptions and practical priorities throughout the past. He is currently a visiting researcher at Cambridge University’s CSER.

Website: thomasmoynihan.xyz

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
25 global ratings

Top review from the United States

Thomas
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most important books by one of the most important scholars
Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2021
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This is an extraordinarily important work on one the most important subject of our century. Moynihan’s first book was a virtuoso exercise primarily of interest to readers already immersed in theory. Extinction is a subject that is very difficult to think about—formally impossible to think about, in certain important senses—and so it has also been very difficult to make appeals on behalf of the subject to attention spans shredded by screentime.

Moynihans squares the circle, in this regard.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Thunderer
5.0 out of 5 stars Understanding of Existential Risk is not enough. This book calls us to action now!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 7, 2020
Verified Purchase
A really timely and useful book (in the era of the Covid Pandemic) with analysis of how we have arrived at an understanding, at least in theory of the possibility of human extinction or X-risk. The book clearly points out that while we now know that the chances of there being life elsewhere are very slim, or maybe nil (and so life on earth is so very precious), we have failed to take the appropriate action to safeguard what we have. The book bristles with interesting facts and learning about our growing understanding of the possibility of the extinction of life. It is a clarion call to action for everybody to take this most important of issues much more seriously. Very clearly illustrated also.
3 people found this helpful
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Margaret J
5.0 out of 5 stars A cracking read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 13, 2020
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A very topical read which puts the pandemic and other risks in context. It reads like a historical drama revealing humankind's growing awareness of existential risk. The risks are real and present. This book gives us the history of how we came to understand them and how the future of humanity might be secured.
4 people found this helpful
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Beauty
5.0 out of 5 stars A racey and thought provoking read.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 12, 2020
Verified Purchase
A fantastic read.Really interesting how it gradually dawned on humanity how fragile we are as a species.
Thought provoking, especially at a time of pandemic.
2 people found this helpful
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The dude
5.0 out of 5 stars "This bodes some strange eruption to our state"
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 5, 2020
Verified Purchase
Excellent genealogy, essential modern literature. Not too heavy/dense so anyone can enjoy.
3 people found this helpful
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