Ask HN: What are the 3 biggest threats to our civilization?

3 points·axismundi··12 comments

I think it's:

1. AI being used in a malicious way 2. Global warming

I'm not sure about the third one. What do you think?

1. Entropy (time taking its toll) in terms of corruption at every possible level of material, culture, liberty, biology, political.

2. Inter-generational discounting (you can't make the next generation care about what you cared about) driving a lack of upkeep for essential yet invisible infrastructure.

3. Threats from space: Coronal mass ejection, cometary impact, meteor impact.

IMHO neither AI nor Global warming are as much a threat to human civilization. They could really suck, but they're not going to send us back to the bronze age or extinct us. We're pretty damn clever and resilient.

Physics used in the service of war/terrorism

Biology used in the service of war/terrorism

Rent seeking of the elite

1. Stupid people

2. Greed

3. Tolerating corruption

1. racism/xenophobia/sexism 2. societal externality costs for industry (like global warming) 3. social media

Number 1 has existed for tens of thousands of years in much more severe shapes, civilization is still around.

yup, it's called tribalism, our closest relatives the chimps also practice it

1. Climate change

2. Nuclear war

I can't think of a credible third.

There is only one: the imbalance of wealth distribution.

Those that less productive should be compensated with more than those who are highly productive?

1. Greed

2. Climate change

3. Giving power to stupid people

Overpopulation

Misinformation for one of them. Previous US elections, and now COVID, have highlighted how misinformation is both extremely potent/viral, and literally deadly.

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