Weiss Charles. The Survival Nexus: Science, Technology, and World Affairs

Oxford University Press, 2022. — 1073 p. — ISBN 9780190946289.The impact of science and technology on world affairs is shaped by politics, economics, business, ethics, law, psychology, and culture. This nexus is a neglected aspect of international affairs. It cuts across and unites diverse issues critical to human survival: climate change, global health, nuclear weapons, Internet governance, cybersecurity, jobs, competitiveness, poverty, hunger, and the management of new technologies like autonomous weapons, hypersonic missiles, geoengineering, and gene drivers. Advances in science and technology promise both great benefits and critical threats. Appropriate policies can stimulate and guide scientific and technological advances to create new ways to achieve a healthy environment, sustainable energy systems, equitable growth, full employment, and reduced poverty. But we are allowing technology to push ourselves into uncharted and dangerous territory. Long-standing modes of international cooperation are under increasing pressure, and too little effort is being made to strengthen and update them. Nor are the strong global norms being built that are needed to manage new technologies. Underlying all of the global problems discussed in this book are considerations of basic ethics: willingness to respect scientific facts, to act today to forestall long-term dangers, and to ensure equitable sharing of the benefits, costs, and risks from advances in science and technology.Stratospheric Ozone
Climate Disruption, Not Just Global Warming
How Do We Address Climate Disruption?
Nuclear Issues
Global Health
Globalization and the Burden of Disease
The Internet and Social Media
Cyberwarfare and Cybersecurity
Frugal Innovations for the “Bottom of the Pyramid”
Jobs, Competitiveness, and Inequality
New Technologies, New Issues
Playing with Fire