An existential risk is a special kind of threat that are different from other types of risks in that if one of them ever befalls us, it would spell the permanent end of humanity. It just so happens we seem to be headed for just such a kind of catastrophe.
AI Summary
# Summary
Josh and Chuck dive deep into existential risks—catastrophic threats that could fundamentally alter or end humanity as we know it. They explore what actually qualifies as an existential risk, distinguish it from other disasters like pandemics or nuclear war, and walk through several potential threats including artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, biotechnology, and even physics experiments like those at the Large Hadron Collider. Throughout the episode, they emphasize why understanding and preventing these human-made dangers matters for the future of our species, drawing heavily on insights from philosopher Toby Ord's book "The Precipice."
It Happened One Night
1934
1h 45m
★ 7.8
"This was Runaway. Gene Simmons was in Runaway as the bad guy, of course. — Referenced as the correct Gene Simmons film featuring small robots as a danger, with Tom Selleck as the protagonist."
— Chuck
Looker
1981
PG
1h 34m
★ 6.1
"Yeah, it's like that Gene Simmons sci-fi movie in the 80s. I wanna say it was Looker. — Mentioned as a Gene Simmons sci-fi film, though Josh is uncertain about the title."
— Josh
"Cheech was like, hey, hey, I want a good long spot on Nash Bridges. — Referenced in comparison to Tommy Chong's career choices regarding marijuana-related content."
— Josh
The Day After
1983
NR
2h 7m
★ 6.8
"movies like War Games and movies like The Day After that global thermonuclear war would be an ex-risk — Referenced alongside War Games as a 1980s depiction of global thermonuclear war scenarios."
— Chuck
The Matrix
1999
2h 16m
★ 8.2
"you could become just a matrix battery. The people in the pods? Yeah, that's what I'm saying. — Used as an example of flawed realization existential risk where humans exist but cannot flourish."
— Josh
Thundarr the Barbarian
1980
★ 7.6
"That's what I imagine with the permanent stagnation. Like Thundarr the Barbarian. — Referenced as an example of a post-apocalyptic world scenario related to permanent stagnation."
— Chuck
WarGames
1983
1h 54m
★ 7.1
"movies like War Games and movies like The Day After that global thermonuclear war would be an ex-risk — Referenced as an example of 1980s films that depicted global thermonuclear war as a potential existential risk."
— Chuck
Weird Science
1985
1h 33m
★ 6.5
"the 1985 film, Weird Science, in which Anthony Michael Hall stars — Mentioned in listener mail regarding Anthony Michael Hall using the term 'wolfbait' as a euphemism."
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