The End: What Science and Religion Tell Us About the Apocalypse by Phil Torres ISBN 9781634310406, 1634310403 instant download

The End: What Science and Religion Tell Us About the Apocalypse by Phil Torres ISBN 9781634310406, 1634310403 instant download

We live in a genuinely unique period of human history, one in which the alarmist's hackneyed warning that “The end is near!” could actually come true. The world is cluttered with increasingly powerful advanced technologies. Global warming and biodiversity loss are unchecked catastrophes that will likely push society to the brink of collapse. How are we to respond to this situation? What can we do to maximize the probability of a positive outcome for our species? The End surveys the expanding wilderness of big-picture hazards before us. It offers a comprehensive and detailed analysis of our evolving existential predicament, which includes risks from synthetic biology, nanotechnology, nuclear weaponry, and (possibly, soon) superintelligence. But understanding the science of risks isn't enough to effectively mitigate them: one must also understand the social, political, and especially religious contexts in which advanced technologies are being developed. The End provides this knowledge by showing how faith-based belief in religious eschatologies (or end-times narratives) is inching us ever closer to a secular apocalypse. Action needs to be taken immediately to avert a disaster. The question is whether humanity will choose reason over faith, observation over revelation, and science over religion.

"Phil Torres' The End is the most chilling reality check on over-optimism I've ever read , a gripping narrative that would could be a Hollywood blockbuster film script but in fact is grounded in facts and data about what threatens to send humanity the way of the dinosaurs. Expect the best but prepare for the worst by reading this important book."

- Michael Shermer, Founding Publisher of Skeptic magazine, monthly columnist for Scientific American , and author of The Moral Arc: How Science and Reason Lead Humanity toward Truth, Justice, and Freedom
"In atheism, as in many religious traditions, the end of the world has a special significance. For us, the goal is