Definition
An Existential Risk (often abbreviated X-Risk) is a risk that threatens the extinction of humanity or the permanent and drastic destruction of our potential for future development.
Why It Matters
Most risks affect some people; existential risks affect everyone who will ever live. If we fail to manage an X-risk, there is no second chance. It is the ultimate moral priority because it represents the difference between a galactic future and an eternal void.
Core Concepts
- Unrecoverable Collapse: Outcomes from which civilization cannot recover.
- Unrecoverable Dystopia: Lock-in of permanent suffering or value destruction.
- Astronomical Waste: The loss of enormous future potential.