just now

Three: Andy Weber on pandemics and nuclear wars

For five years, Andy Weber, was the US’ Assistant Secretary of Defense responsible for biological and other weapons of mass destruction. Andy’s current mission is to spread the word that while bioweapons are terrifying, scientific advances also leave them

Listen to this episode

0:00 / 0:00

Summary

For five years, Andy Weber, was the US’ Assistant Secretary of Defense responsible for biological and other weapons of mass destruction. Andy’s current mission is to spread the word that while bioweapons are terrifying, scientific advances also leave them on the verge of becoming an outdated technology.

First published

10/03/2021

Genres

education society culture philosophy

Duration

114 minutes

Parent Podcast

Effective Altruism: Ten Global Problems – 80000 Hours

View Podcast

Share this episode

Similar Episodes

  • Effective altruism in a nutshell

    10/04/2021

    80000 Hours

    Effective Altruism: Ten Global Problems is a collection of ten top episodes of the 80,000 Hours Podcast, designed to bring you up to speed on ten pressing issues the effective altruism community is working to solve.Here the host of the show — Rob Wiblin — briefly explains what effective altruism is all about, and what to expect from the rest of this series.

    Clean
  • Effective altruism in a nutshell

    04/12/2021

    The 80000 Hours team

    'Effective Altruism: An Introduction' is a collection of ten top episodes of The 80,000 Hours Podcast specifically selected to help listeners quickly get up to speed on the school of thought known as effective altruism.Here the host of the show — Rob Wiblin — briefly explains what effective altruism is all about, and what to expect from the rest of this series.

    Clean
  • What's next

    10/03/2021

    80000 Hours

    Now you've finished Effective Altruism: Ten Global Problems, here's what we suggest you do next.And if you’ve listened to this series and found the ideas resonated with you, our one-on-one team might be able to help you apply them to your career. We can talk to you about career options, make introductions in your chosen fields, and help you work out next steps on a free careers call. Apply now.

    Clean
  • Ten: Benjamin Todd on the core of effective altruism and how to argue for it

    04/12/2021

    The 80000 Hours team

    Is effective altruism just about donating money to fight poverty? Does it include a moral obligation to give? How do you talk about it to people who've never heard of it? In this conversation from 2020, Arden Koehler and 80,000 Hours CEO Ben Todd cover a bunch of topics related to effective altruism. We also have an article on misconceptions about effective altruism – based on Will MacAskill’s paper The Definition of Effective Altruism – and this episode can act as a companion piece.Full transcript, related links, and summary of this interviewThis episode first broadcast on the regular 80,000 Hours Podcast feed on September 21, 2020. Some related episodes include:• #75 – Michelle Hutchinson on what people most often ask 80,000 Hours• Benjamin Todd on varieties of longtermism and things 80,000 Hours might be getting wrong (80k team chat #2)• Benjamin Todd on what the effective altruism community most needs (80k team chat #4)Series produced by Keiran Harris.

    Clean

Similar Podcasts

  • Nonprofit Leadership Podcast

    08/12/2020

    Rob Harter

    The Nonprofit Leadership Podcast: Making Your World Better features discussions covering the most critical issues, trends and opportunities facing nonprofit leaders and those engaged in social innovation. Hosted by Dr. Rob Harter, in this podcast you will hear real stories from experienced leaders about what strategies and practices have made them successful. It is our hope that through this audio series, people can learn not only what it takes to be an effective non-profit leader but to hear inspiring stories about people and organizations that are successfully making a positive impact in their communities. Enjoy the show!

    Clean

Episode Description

COVID-19 has provided a vivid reminder of the damage biological threats can do. But the threat doesn’t come from natural sources alone. Weaponized contagious diseases — which were abandoned by the United States, but developed in large numbers by the Soviet Union, right up until its collapse — have the potential to spread globally and kill just as many as an all-out nuclear war.

For five years, Andy Weber, was the US’ Assistant Secretary of Defense responsible for biological and other weapons of mass destruction. Andy’s current mission is to spread the word that while bioweapons are terrifying, scientific advances also leave them on the verge of becoming an outdated technology.

We chose Andy to introduce the problems of pandemics and nuclear wars. 

Full transcript, related links, and summary of this interview

This episode first broadcast on the regular 80,000 Hours Podcast feed on March 12, 2021. Some related episodes include:

  • #4 – Howie Lempel on pandemics that kill hundreds of millions and how to stop them
  • #12 – Dr Beth Cameron works to stop you dying in a pandemic. Here’s what keeps her up at night.
  • #27 – Tom Inglesby on how to prevent global catastrophic biological risks.
  • #65 – Amb. Bonnie Jenkins on 8 years pursuing WMD arms control, & diversity in diplomacy

Series produced by Keiran Harris.

Comments

Sign in to leave a comment.

Loading comments...