The End of the World: The Science and Ethics of Human Extinction

by John A. Leslie

Are we in imminent danger of extinction? Yes, we probably are, argues John Leslie in his chilling account of the dangers facing the human race as we approach the second millenium. The End of the World is a sobering assessment of the many disasters that scientists have predicted and speculated on as leading to apocalypse. In the first comprehensive survey, potential catastrophes - ranging from deadly diseases to high-energy physics experiments - are explored to help us understand the risks. One of the greatest threats facing humankind, however, is the insurmountable fact that we are a relatively young species, a risk which is at the heart of the 'Doomsday Argument' This argument, if correct, makes the dangers we face more serious than we could have ever imagined. This more than anything makes the arrogance and ignorance of politicians, and indeed philosophers, so disturbing as they continue to ignore the manifest dangers facing future generations.

Genres: Science, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Science Nature

328 pages, Paperback

First published March 21, 1996

About the author

John Andrew Leslie (born August 2, 1940) is a Canadian philosopher. He was educated at Wadham College, Oxford, earning his B.A. in English Literature in 1962 and his M.Litt. in Classics in 1968. He is currently Professor emeritus at the University of Guelph, in Ontario, Canada.

Reviews

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Providing an interesting account of plausible doomsday scenarios for the ending of humanity, John Leslie shows that humanity's grip on life is far more tenuous than many of us realize. From the natural threats many of us might know (supervolcanoes, massive tidal waves, or global-extinction events caused by meteor strikes) to the possibilities we make ourselves (superdiseases or nuclear weapons), this book shows how simple it might be for humanity to fade away into the veil of history. Adding to the more ordinary causes of our eventual demise, the author adds several new scenarios including those that follow:

Nuclear weapons have never been successfully destroyed when in the higher parts of the Earth's atmosphere (where they reach their zenith during interncontinental flight). An explosion of a nuclear weapon at such a high altitude where the gas-content of the air is different may very well cause the air to ignite. If the possibility of nuclear war doesn't scare you, an atmosphere-high wall of flame that stretches from horizon to horizon racing towards you faster than the speed of sound, leaving an earth with no atmosphere in its wake just might.

Furthermore, the universe exists with a number of 'universal constants' which define how space and time relate to each other (allowing our universe to exist). Physists readily admit that these constants could be different, and that a massive burst of energy could create a localized zone of space-time where the laws of space and time are different, and this lower-energetic difference would expand outward at the speed of light in all directions, unmaking the universe. The energetic burst need only be of very high energy in a very tiny space - much like the type of energy burst produced in our new particle colliders that are being built. Even if we stopped production of our particle colliders, particles are racing through the depths of space at the speed of light as we speak, and a chance collision of such particles could provide the impetus for such a universal transformation and unmaking. In fact, it might have already happened on the opposite side of the universe, and the wall of our undoing may be racing toward us as we speak.

John Leslie's book is not intended solely as a tale to make a reader paranoid and fearful. Rather, it serves as a cautionary tale, allowing the reader to realize just how precious our lives are, and that there are policies that we, as human beings, can put in place to forestall or avoid some of the more plausible endings to our species. He ends his book with an exhortation to all of us to attempt to steer our national political bodies into addressing these issues before it is too late for us all.

[Jeff Pedersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't really know what to say about this book. The theory behind the book is a little odd but I am not really sure it is valid. I need to look more into it.

[Ami Iida · Rating 2 out of 5]

the collection of statistics are very interesting and excellent.