Phil Torres written a detailed critique of one section of Steven Pinker’s chapter “Existential Threats” in Enlightenment Now:
The chapter expends a great deal of energy attacking a small village of straw men, from the pessimism/optimism dichotomy that frames the entire discussion to the theoretical dangers posed by value-misaligned machine superintelligence. I argue that this tendency to knock down unserious or non-existent positions while ignoring or misrepresenting the most intellectually robust ideas does a disservice to the ongoing public and academic discussions about the various global-scale threats facing humanity this century.
Note: While I did not read the original book, it is an important contribution to the public debate on the topic, and the critique seems relevant.
Critique of “Existential Threats” chapter in Enlightenment Now
Link post
Phil Torres written a detailed critique of one section of Steven Pinker’s chapter “Existential Threats” in Enlightenment Now:
Note: While I did not read the original book, it is an important contribution to the public debate on the topic, and the critique seems relevant.