Listen "Existential hope vs Existential Fear"
Episode Synopsis
Existential risks to human life abound, from the threat of nuclear Armageddon; to an uninhabitable planet; or an AI-induced apocalypse. Understanding such risks and how we can best respond to them is the preoccupation of S. J. Beard. But the Cambridge University researcher also speaks of "existential hope", a way of addressing our fears without the doom and despair. Also, Monash University's, Neil Selwyn, makes the call for what he terms "digital degrowth" — decoupling our online world from the shackles of consumer capitalism.GuestsDr S. J. Beard — Senior Research Associate, Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, Cambridge UniversityProfessor Neil Selwyn — Faculty of Education, Monash UniversityFurther informationS.J. Beard - Existential HopeNeil Selwyn - Digital Degrowth: Radically Rethinking our Digital Futures
More episodes of the podcast Future Tense
Is globalisation dying?
19/09/2025
Taxing carbon on the border and at sea
12/09/2025
Cooperation, not conflict on the High Seas
29/08/2025
Convenience culture's inconvenient truth
22/08/2025
The truth about AI and productivity
08/08/2025
Sinking Cities
01/08/2025
Lessons from South Korea's security dilemma
18/07/2025