English Professor Andew McMurry joins Dean of Arts Douglas Peers and colleages from other departments to discuss the current state of the Bullet of Atomic Scientists' Doomsday Clock and to understand the real threats and possible actions for turning back the clock.
SPEAKERS:
Alexander Lanoszka, Political Science
Back to the Future? Nuclear weapons modernization 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.