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Lecturer(s)
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Syrovátka Miroslav, doc. Mgr. Ph.D.
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Daněk Tomáš, Mgr. Ph.D.
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Chovaneček Jiří, Mgr. Ph.D.
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Fürst Tomáš, RNDr. Ph.D.
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Course content
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The course focuses on anthropogenic risks with the potential to seriously disrupt the functioning of human civilization. It begins by introducing different types of risk (catastrophic, civilizational, and existential), distinguishing between natural and anthropogenic sources of risk, and discussing questions of population ethics and intergenerational responsibility. It then turns to the main thematic areas of the course: climate change, pandemics, nuclear war, and artificial intelligence. For each of these risks, the course examines the mechanisms through which they emerge and escalate, possible development scenarios, the degree and nature of uncertainty (including uncertainties in climate models), interactions among risks, and possibilities for prevention, mitigation, and global governance. Attention is devoted not only to scenarios of existential catastrophe, but also to less extreme yet institutionally significant disruptions to the functioning of human civilization.
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Learning activities and teaching methods
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Lecture, Dialogic Lecture (Discussion, Dialog, Brainstorming)
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Learning outcomes
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Prerequisites
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unspecified
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Assessment methods and criteria
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unspecified
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Recommended literature
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Arnscheidt, C. W. et al. (2025). Systemic contributions to global catastrophic risk..
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Beard, S. J., Rios Rojas, C., Richards, C., Rees, M. (eds.). (2023). The Era of Global Risk: An Introduction to Existential Risk Studies.
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Bostrom, N. (2013). Existential risk prevention as global priority.
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Global Preparedness Monitoring Board. (2025). The New Face of Pandemic Preparedness.
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Greaves, H., Ord, T. (2017). Moral uncertainty about population axiology.
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IPCC. (2023). Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report. Summary for Policymakers.
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Kemp, L. et al. (2022). Climate endgame: Exploring catastrophic climate change scenarios.
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MacAskill, W. (2022). What We Owe the Future. New York, NY.
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Ord, T. (2022). Nad propastí: Existenční riziko a budoucnost lidstva.
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SIPRI. (2024). Impact of Military Artificial Intelligence on Nuclear Escalation Risk.
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SIPRI. Yearbook 2025. (2025). Armaments, Disarmaments and International Security. Summary.
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Vermeer, M. J. D., Lanthrop, E., Moon, A. (2025). On the Extinction Risk from Artificial Intelligence.
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