Existential Risks

New Zealand needs a method to agree on a value framework and how to quantify future lives at risk

Authors

  • Matt Boyd
  • Nick Wilson

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26686/pq.v14i3.5105

Keywords:

Existential risk, future lives, public engagement, risk mitigation, value framework

Abstract

Human civilisation faces a range of existential risks, including nuclear war, runaway climate change and superintelligent artificial intelligence run amok. As we show here with calculations for the New Zealand setting, large numbers of currently living and, especially, future people are potentially threatened by existential risks. A just process for resource allocation demands that we consider future generations but also account for solidarity with the present. Here we consider the various ethical and policy issues involved and make a case for further engagement with the New Zealand public to determine societal values towards future lives and their protection.

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Published

2018-08-13

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 3 (2018): Policy Quarterly Special issue: Assessing and Enhancing New Zealand's Productivity

Section

Articles

License

Permission: In the interest of promoting debate and wider dissemination, the IGPS encourages use of all or part of the articles appearing in PQ, where there is no element of commercial gain. Appropriate acknowledgement of both author and source should be made in all cases. The IGPS retains copyright. Please direct requests for permission to reprint articles from this publication to igps@vuw.ac.nz.