vulnerable world hypothesis
E708979
hypothesis about technological risk
idea in risk theory
philosophical hypothesis
speculative hypothesis
The vulnerable world hypothesis is a speculative idea in risk theory suggesting that technological progress may eventually make it easy for small groups or individuals to cause catastrophic harm, potentially rendering modern civilization extremely fragile.
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
hypothesis about technological risk
ⓘ
idea in risk theory ⓘ philosophical hypothesis ⓘ speculative hypothesis ⓘ |
| addresses |
existential risk
ⓘ
global catastrophic risk ⓘ security implications of emerging technologies ⓘ |
| argues |
if such technologies are discovered, maintaining an open liberal society may become difficult
ⓘ
strong global governance might be required in some technological scenarios ⓘ there may be possible technologies that make it easy to cause civilization-ending damage ⓘ |
| assumes | technological progress continues and explores more of the space of possible inventions ⓘ |
| concerns |
distribution of destructive power
ⓘ
feasibility of large-scale destruction by individuals ⓘ future technological capabilities ⓘ |
| coreIdea |
modern civilization may become extremely fragile under certain technological conditions
ⓘ
technological progress may eventually make it easy for small groups or individuals to cause catastrophic harm ⓘ |
| critiquedFor |
potential justification of authoritarian measures
ⓘ
speculative nature ⓘ |
| describedIn | paper "The Vulnerable World Hypothesis" NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| discusses |
differential technological development
ⓘ
global governance as a potential response to vulnerability ⓘ surveillance as a potential response to vulnerability ⓘ |
| field |
existential risk studies
ⓘ
global catastrophic risk ⓘ philosophy of technology ⓘ risk theory ⓘ |
| hasAuthorAffiliation |
Future of Humanity Institute
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
University of Oxford NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| implication |
importance of managing information hazards
ⓘ
need for robust global security institutions ⓘ possible tension between security and freedom ⓘ |
| includesConcept | black ball from an urn of possible technologies ⓘ |
| influenced |
debates on AI governance
ⓘ
discussions of biosecurity policy ⓘ |
| influencedBy |
existential risk literature
ⓘ
nuclear-era security concerns ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| proposedBy | Nick Bostrom NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| publicationYear | 2018 ⓘ |
| publishedIn | Global Policy NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| relatedConcept |
AI risk
ⓘ
biosecurity ⓘ dual-use technology ⓘ existential risk ⓘ global catastrophic risk ⓘ nuclear proliferation ⓘ preventive policing ⓘ surveillance state ⓘ |
| usesMetaphor | urn model of technological discovery ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.