Depending on the tradition, people with religious faith may have been exposed to a higher number of literal doomsday prophets. The word “prophet” is perhaps a clue? So I think it’s natural for them to pattern-match technological “prophets” of doom with religious prophets of doom and dismiss both.
To argue against this, I would emphasize the differences. Technological predictions of extinction are not based on mysterious texts from the past, or personal unverifiable revelations from God, but on concrete evidence that anyone can look at and form their own opinions. Also, forecasters generally have a lot of uncertainty about exactly what will happen, and when. Forecasts change in response to new information, such as the recent success of generative AI. Highlighting these differences can help break the immediate pattern match. Pointing to other technological catastrophic risks, such as climate change, nuclear warfare, etc, can also properly locate the discussion.
The suggested arguments in the opening post are great ideas as well. Given the examples of climate change and nuclear warfare, I think we have every reason to work towards further engagement with religious leaders on these issues.
Depending on the tradition, people with religious faith may have been exposed to a higher number of literal doomsday prophets. The word “prophet” is perhaps a clue? So I think it’s natural for them to pattern-match technological “prophets” of doom with religious prophets of doom and dismiss both.
To argue against this, I would emphasize the differences. Technological predictions of extinction are not based on mysterious texts from the past, or personal unverifiable revelations from God, but on concrete evidence that anyone can look at and form their own opinions. Also, forecasters generally have a lot of uncertainty about exactly what will happen, and when. Forecasts change in response to new information, such as the recent success of generative AI. Highlighting these differences can help break the immediate pattern match. Pointing to other technological catastrophic risks, such as climate change, nuclear warfare, etc, can also properly locate the discussion.
The suggested arguments in the opening post are great ideas as well. Given the examples of climate change and nuclear warfare, I think we have every reason to work towards further engagement with religious leaders on these issues.