Sir Martin Rees On the Future: Prospects for Humanity

Today my guest is world-renowned cosmologist and Astronomer Royal Sir Martin Rees. Martin has written 11 books and more than 500 scientific papers on topics ranging from the Big Bang and cosmology to technology and the future of humanity. Sir Rees has also been concerned with the threats stemming from humanity’s ever-heavier ‘footprint’ on the global environment and with the runaway consequences of ever more powerful technologies. His new book On the Future: prospects for humanity addresses these issues. During our 90-minute interview with Martin Rees, we cover a variety of interesting topics such as: why he is a scientist and teacher first and foremost; his interest in existential risks and policy; his journey from math to astronomy and cosmology; his environmental and nuclear concerns; the necessity for ethics in science; my interview with Lawrence Krauss; his greatest fear and biggest dream; AI and the Singularity; technological unemployment, UBI and taxation; the future of space exploration; the problem of consciousness; his bet with and differences from Steven Pinker; the major issues humanity is facing in the 21st century; the limits of science and a theory of everything. My favorite quote that I will take away from Martin Rees’ book is: “We need to think globally, we need to think rationally, we need to think long term, empowered by 21st-century technology but guided by values that science alone can’t provide.” As always you can listen to or download the audio file above or scroll down and watch the video interview in full. To show your support you can write a review on iTunes, make a direct donation or become a patron on Patreon. You can watch the full video here: https://www.singularityweblog.com/martin-rees/