22. Landmines
What are the biggest risks (“landmines”) to the wellbeing of humanity over the next two decades? And how might these risks be addressed?
Resources providing an overall introduction to landmines:
Video specially created for The Vital Syllabus by David Wood
“The Map of Doom: Apocalypses Ranked” by Domain of Science
Resources providing an overall introduction to the solutions to landmines:
“Optimism” by David Deutsch at the RSA
“Ways to change the world: ‘Humankind’” – with Rutger Bregman on UK’s Channel 4
“Nouriel Roubini on 10 ‘megathreats’ to our world and how to stop them”, Channel 4 News
22.1 The left behinds
“Why ‘Deaths of Despair’ May Be a Warning Sign for America” – Angus Deaton and Anne Case on Moving Upstream
“Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism” – Anne Case and Angus Deaton at the Starr Forum
22.2 WMD proliferation
22.3 Biotech hazards
“Risks and Benefits of Gain-of-Function Experiments in Potentially Pandemic Pathogens” at CSER 2015
22.4 Infotech hazards
22.5 Financial instabilities
22.6 Environmental instabilities
“The most important thing you can do to fight climate change: talk about it” – Katharine Hayhoe at TED
“The innovations we need to avoid a climate disaster” by Bill Gates at TED
“We WILL Fix Climate Change” by Kurzgesagt
“Geoengineering: A Horrible Idea We Might Have to Do” by Kurzgesagt
“Drawdown 101 — An Introduction to the Science of Climate Change Solutions” by Project Drawdown
22.7 Political instabilities
“Democracy in the Next Cycle of History” – Jonathan Haidt in conversation with Stewart Brand and Kevin Kelly at the Long Now Foundation
22.8 Cancers within society
22.9 Reason under threat
“Why the world is going crazy – and how to win back our minds” by Jamie Wheal
“Republic of Lies” by Anna Merlan at The Open Mind
22.10 Divided nations
“I’ve studied nuclear war for 35 years — you should be worried” by Brian Toon
“Artificial Intelligence: It will kill us” by Jay Tuck
22.11 Divided aging
22.12 Bubbling under
“These are the asteroids to worry about” by Veritasium
“What Happens If Yellowstone Blows Up Tomorrow” by Real Life Lore
“8 ways the world could suddenly end” by Stephen Petranek
Vital Syllabus 