3.0

credits

Average Course Rating

The world feels increasingly dangerous. Dictators are on the rise, democracies are faltering, and global stability is under threat from the specter of major wars—even nuclear conflict. Future pandemics may prove more deadly than the last. The environment is under severe stress. And emerging technologies like artificial intelligence may displace humanity’s central role in the world. Catastrophe seems just around the corner. This course takes a comparative approach to studying these different catastrophes, and what can be done to prevent them. Our aim is to better understand these dangers, assess their relative gravity, and explore possible responses. Topics include the rise of authoritarianism and the decline of liberal democracy; the risk of armed conflict and nuclear war; public health threats like antibiotic resistance and pandemics; environmental degradation including climate change; and transformative technologies such as artificial intelligence.