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A review by synoptic_view
Global Catastrophic Risks by Milan M. Cirkovic, Nick Bostrom
I was hoping for more discussion of correlated risks and the trade-offs faced by public policy when dealing with multi-dimensional, existential risks. The editors lay out exactly why this attention to multi-dimensionality is important:
But, after this quote, the point is largely put aside. Much of the text is taken up with examples of different risks, many of them non-catastrophic in the existential sense. The chapter by Posner came closest to the discussion I wanted, so I am reading his book on catastrophes next.
[T]here are also pragmatic reasons for addressing global catastrophic risks as a single field. Attention is scarce. Mitigation is costly. To decide how to allocate effort and resources, we must make comparative judgements. If we treat risks singly, and never as part of an overall threat profile, we may become unduly fixated on the one or two dangers that happen to have captured the public or expert imagination of the day, while neglecting other risks that are more severe or more amenable to mitigation. (pg. 2)
But, after this quote, the point is largely put aside. Much of the text is taken up with examples of different risks, many of them non-catastrophic in the existential sense. The chapter by Posner came closest to the discussion I wanted, so I am reading his book on catastrophes next.