This is because neither pathogens nor natural disasters have ever come close to causing human extinction, and have only relatively rarely even caused the collapse of a single human civilization.
Interesting. Do you know of a good source that makes the case for this claim (and that could also help clarify precisely what it means, e.g. what “relatively rarely” means)?
And what about the Toba catastrophe theory? I’m aware that that theory is contested, but I don’t have the impression that there’s academic consensus that the theory is wrong. (I haven’t looked into it much, though.) Maybe you’d argue that, even if the theory is correct, that wouldn’t be a case where humanity “came close” to extinction?
(I already have the view that anthropogenic risks are a far bigger deal than natural risks. But a good source for the above claim could perhaps update me even further in that direction.)
Interesting. Do you know of a good source that makes the case for this claim (and that could also help clarify precisely what it means, e.g. what “relatively rarely” means)?
And what about the Toba catastrophe theory? I’m aware that that theory is contested, but I don’t have the impression that there’s academic consensus that the theory is wrong. (I haven’t looked into it much, though.) Maybe you’d argue that, even if the theory is correct, that wouldn’t be a case where humanity “came close” to extinction?
(I already have the view that anthropogenic risks are a far bigger deal than natural risks. But a good source for the above claim could perhaps update me even further in that direction.)