Every society has had its doomsday myths. But with the arrival of increasingly potent technologies and a fuller understanding of the Earth's tumultuous history, a long list of natural and anthropogenic catastrophes and existential threats loom in the future: global nuclear war, runaway climate change, asteroidal collisions, super-volcanic eruptions, designer plagues, and uncontrolled artificial super intelligence. How serious are these threats? What can be done to avert them? What do such terminal scenarios suggest about modern progress and the place of intelligent life in the cosmos?
910.810.01 Homewood campus
Thursday, Oct. 31 to Nov. 21, 6:45 to 8:15 p.m.
Cost: $105 (four sessions)
JHU full-time faculty/staff are eligible for 80% tuition remission; spouse for 50%. You will be unable to register online and receive the discount. Contact 410-516-8516 for more information.