Turning back the Doomsday Clock

It’s no joke. The Doomsday Clock is a widely recognized indicator of global threats from nuclear weapons, climate change, and disruptive technologies.

Join Doug Peers, Dean of Arts, for a discussion with Faculty of Arts scholars in political science, sociology, and English to understand the real threats and possible actions for turning back the clock.

Speakers

Alexander Lanoszka, Political Science

Back to the Future? Nuclear weapons modernisation and great power competition seem to make global politics more dangerous than ever. But what, if anything, is different about our current situation from what we experienced during the Cold War?

Andrew McMurry, English Language and Literature

Everybody talks about climate change but nobody does anything about it. Why are we failing to adequately address this existential threat to the planet? It turns out that communicating the threat of climate change is as challenging as the problem itself. How do our favoured narratives and metaphors condition us to do nothing as the catastrophe unfolds?

Kate Henne, Sociology and Legal Studies

Disruption, Debilitation, Doom? What threats do disruptive technologies pose? According to the Doomsday Clock settings, they undermine democracy and political institutions. But, how do they disrupt other aspects of everyday life? Looking at their mundane effects may tell us a lot about risk and social change.



 

Atom research photo licensed under Creative Commons. Doomsday Clock image credit: Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.