| Description |
310 pages ; 22 cm |
| Contents |
Introduction: the risk of extinction -- 1. War, pollution, disease -- 2. Other dangers -- 3. Judging the risks -- 4. Why prolong human history? -- 5. The doomsday argument -- 6. Testing the argument -- 7. Prisoner's dilemma and nuclear revenge |
| Summary |
Nuclear war, holes in the ozone layer, disease, genetic engineering, asteroids and supernovas - any of these may bring human history to an end. But are we in imminent danger of extinction? John Leslie assesses the risks facing the human race and concludes: yes, we probably are. Leslie pays particular attention to the 'doomsday argument'. This argument, arising from the undeniable fact that we are a very young species, substantially increases the likelihood of our extinction |
| Analysis |
Biology |
|
Civilisation |
|
Doomsday argument |
|
Ethics |
|
Extinct species |
|
Human ecology |
|
Overseas item |
|
Risk |
| Notes |
Subtitle of PL copy: The science and ethics of human extinction |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references and indexes |
| Subject |
End of the world (Astronomy) -- Moral and ethical aspects.
|
|
End of the world -- Moral and ethical aspects.
|
|
Extinction (Biology)
|
|
Nature -- Effect of human beings on.
|
| LC no. |
95038891 |
| ISBN |
0415140439 |
|
