Catastrophe : Risk and Response
Overview
Catastrophic risks are much greater than is commonly appreciated. Collision with an asteroid, runaway global warming, voraciously replicating nanomachines, a pandemic of gene-spliced smallpox launched by bioterrorists, and a world-ending accident in a high-energy particle accelerator, are among the possible extinction events that are sufficiently likely to warrant careful study. How should we respond to events that, for a variety of psychological and cultural reasons, we find it hard to wrap our minds around? Posner argues that realism about science and scientists, innovative applications of cost-benefit analysis, a scientifically literate legal profession, unprecedented international cooperation, and a pragmatic attitude toward civil liberties are among the keys to coping effectively with the catastrophic risks.
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Details
- ISBN-13: 9780195306477
- ISBN-10: 0195306473
- Publisher: Oxford University Press
- Publish Date: December 2005
- Dimensions: 8.86 x 6.06 x 0.85 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.04 pounds
- Page Count: 336
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