from Hacker News

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

by axismundi on 11/2/21, 5:07 PM with 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?

  • by kleer001 on 11/2/21, 5:43 PM

    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.

  • by mikewarot on 11/2/21, 7:28 PM

    Physics used in the service of war/terrorism

    Biology used in the service of war/terrorism

    Rent seeking of the elite

  • by thesuperbigfrog on 11/2/21, 5:28 PM

    1. Stupid people

    2. Greed

    3. Tolerating corruption

  • by johntdaly on 11/2/21, 5:11 PM

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

  • by dyeje on 11/2/21, 5:44 PM

    1. Climate change

    2. Nuclear war

    I can't think of a credible third.

  • by markus_zhang on 11/2/21, 5:59 PM

    There is only one: the imbalance of wealth distribution.

  • by gaws on 11/4/21, 3:46 PM

    1. Greed

    2. Climate change

    3. Giving power to stupid people

  • by snyena on 11/2/21, 5:38 PM

    Overpopulation

  • by ed_at_work on 11/2/21, 6:17 PM

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