EA - Lord Martin Rees: an appreciation by HaydnBelfield

Link to original articleWelcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: Lord Martin Rees: an appreciation, published by HaydnBelfield on October 24, 2022 on The Effective Altruism Forum. Other titles I considered: Lord Martin Rees’ new existential risk book published: "If Science is to Save Us" Lord Martin Rees should be on more existential risk introductions Lord Martin Rees is a boss [Disclaimer: I work at CSER, which Martin co-founded (in some sense he’s my boss), and I know and like him, so I’m biased towards him. However, I’ve mostly referred to objective, verifiable evidence, and others can corroborate.] Summary: Lord Martin Rees is one of the UK’s, and perhaps the world’s, most eminent scientists, has been an advocate of existential risk since at least 2003 (and arguably since the 1970s), and is a charismatic speaker and engaging writer. I’ll argue he should be featured in more ‘introductions to existential risk’ and should be turned to as a powerful advocate for existential risk reduction - like e.g. Will MacAskill and Toby Ord. In this short piece I’ll give a quick bio and describe some of his work. In part, this post is just an appreciation post – he’s just recently had his 80th birthday, after all. Photo by Hanna-Katrina Jędrosz for the New Statesman New book The occasion for this post is that his new book has just been published: If Science is to Save Us. Summary: There has never been a time when ‘following the science’ has been more important for humanity. At no other point in history have we had such advanced knowledge and technology at our fingertips, nor had such astonishing capacity to determine the future of our planet. But the decisions we must make on how science is applied belong outside the lab and should be the outcome of wide public debate. For that to happen, science needs to become part of our common culture. Science is not just for scientists: if it were, it could never save us from the multiple crises we face. For science can save us, if its innovations mesh carefully into society and its applications are channelled for the common good. As Martin Rees argues in this expert and personal analysis of the scientific endeavour on which we all depend, we need to think globally, we need to think rationally and we need to think long-term, empowered by twenty-first-century technology but guided by values that science alone cannot provide. Coverage: The Telegraph. New Statesman: Martin Rees: “This could be our last century on Earth” The Economist: How science can save the world Quick bio Martin Rees is a cosmologist and astrophysicist who’s done leading research (500+ papers) on black holes, quasars and the multiverse. He knew Stephen Hawking well (and wrote a very nice obituary for him). He’s been the Astronomer Royal (previous holders, Halley of ‘Halley’s Comet’ fame) since 1995. He was the 60th President of the Royal Society, 2005-2010 (previous holders Wren, Pepys, Newton, Rutherford, etc). The Royal Society is the UK’s national academy of sciences, and one of the most preeminent in the world. He was Master of Trinity College, Cambridge 2004-2012. He was made a Lord, specifically a non-party-political (‘crossbench’) member of the House of Lords, in 2005. He’s published 10+ books including: From Here to Infinity: Scientific Horizons (UK) / From Here to Infinity: A Vision for the Future of Science Just Six Numbers Our Cosmic Habitat Before the Beginning: Our Universe and Others Cosmic Coincidences: Dark matter, mankind and anthropic cosmology Gravity’s Fatal Attraction: Black Holes in the Universe New Perspectives in Astrophysical Cosmology This is all to say he’s one of the UK’s (and perhaps the world) leading scientists. Good introductory materials Rees has given two TED talks, which have together been watched 4-5 million times. I think they’re great introductions to the subject. Can we prevent the end of the world?...