Petrov Day Celebration 2019 - Oxford Campsite

On September 28th, we will be celebrating the decision of Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov on September 26th 1983 to not destroy the world.

Despite receiving system reports of multiple US missile launches, Petrov ignored Soviet protocol and chose not to report honestly to his superiors, instead declaring the launch detection a false alarm. Which later turned out to be the case. Thanks to one decision by one man in a tense, time-pressured moment, the world was not destroyed in thermonuclear flame. We choose to celebrate this anniversary because, if anything is worth celebrating, the survival of the human species is.

We’ll be gathering around a (decidedly less powerful) fire at Willowbrook Farm to rejoice in the world we’re lucky enough to still have, sing songs about science and hope and the future, and renew our shared determination to do as much as we can in our own lives to make the world a better place.

Anyone is welcome. Anyone who cares about solving hard problems and helping others and eliminating suffering in the world and finding truth through science and the progress and achievements of humanity will find parts of our celebration that resonate with them.

If you want to attend, you are welcome. It does not matter if you can’t sing, can’t dance, don’t know how to pitch a tent, don’t know how to build a bonfire, don’t know anyone else going, don’t know the songs yet, haven’t been to previous events, have never heard of rationality or LessWrong, need accommodations to attend, or don’t want to cook. You are welcome.

For more information and to sign up so we know to have room in a tent for you, take a look at the Facebook event (click the little ‘f’ under event type), or just contact me at the contact email address and I’ll make sure there’s room for you.