Rob Reid is an entrepreneur, podcaster and an author. The last 15 months have been a terrifying taster of just what a global crisis is like, except it wasn't lethal enough to be a threat to our long term survival - but just because this one wasn't, doesn't mean that more deadly existential risks aren't out there. Expect to learn how synthetic biology might be the biggest risk to our survival, what we should have learned from 2020, whether Artificial General Intelligence is an immediate threat, Rob's opinion on my solution for saving civilisation, whether we should totally stop all technological development and much more... Sponsors: Get 20% discount on all pillows at https://thehybridpillow.com (use code: MW20) Get perfect teeth 70% cheaper than other invisible aligners from DW Aligners at http://dwaligners.co.uk/modernwisdom Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (01:19) The Thrill of Existential Risk (07:00) Why Is Climate Change Our Focus? (10:19) Humanity’s Close Calls (20:31) Democratising the Apocalypse (30:46) The Threat of COVID-19 and Pandemics (54:00) Is the Research Worth the Risk? (1:02:00) Would Moon Labs Reduce Risk? (1:08:18) Helpful Lessons from COVID-19 (1:16:45) What if China Leaked COVID-19? (1:22:15) How to Prevent Destroying Humanity (1:37:47) Creating Silo Communities (1:46:54) Lesser-known Existential Risks (1:51:17) Making Existential Risk Sexier (2:01:50) How Can Individuals Help? (2:08:07) What’s Next for Rob? Extra Stuff: Check out Rob's Podcast - https://after-on.com  Follow Rob on Twitter - https://twitter.com/rob_reid?lang=en  Get my free Ultimate Life Hacks List to 10x your daily productivity → https://chriswillx.com/lifehacks/ To support me on Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/modernwisdom - Episodes You Might Enjoy: This Is How To Master Your Life - David Goggins - #577: ⁠⁠⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins⁠⁠⁠ How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs - Dr Jordan Peterson - #712: ⁠⁠⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson⁠⁠⁠ The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain - Dr Andrew Huberman - #700: ⁠⁠⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Huberman⁠⁠ Get in touch.  Join the discussion with me and other like minded listeners in the episode comments on the MW YouTube Channel or message me... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ModernWisdomPodcast Email: https://www.chriswillx.com/contact Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices