civilizations
The road to civilization goes through threat and punishment
Do you frown at people who sneeze in their hand instead of in a tissue? Would you be prepared to punish that person by frowning at him or her, showing you dislike the behaviour? In that case you are a
Saved by the Dark Forest: How a Multitude of Extraterrestrial Civilizations Can Prevent a Hobbesian Trap
The Monist, Volume 107, Issue 2, April 2024, Pages 176–189 Abstract The possibility of extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI) exists despite no observed evidence, and the risks and benefits of actively sea
Ecocentrism and Biosphere Life Extension
Science and Engineering Ethics, 28. Abstract The biosphere represents the global sum of all ecosystems. According to a prominent view in environmental ethics, ecocentrism, these ecosystems matter for the
Janine Wedel: Russia, Ukraine, and our world of competing visions. Can civil society counter oligarchic capitalism?
Plats: Institutet för framtidsstudier, Holländargatan 13, 4 trappor i Stockholm Register here Research seminar with Janine R. Wedel, University Professor, Schar School of Policy and Government,George Mas
Janine Wedel: Can civil society counter oligarchic capitalism?
Full title: Russia, Ukraine, and our world of competing visions. Can civil society counter oligarchic capitalism? Research seminar with Janine R. Wedel, University Professor, Schar School of Policy an
The Frontiers of Sociology
2009. Brill. Table of Contents IntroductionPeter Hedström and Björn Wittrock: Frontiers of Sociology The legacy and frontiers of sociologyThe Emergence of Universalism: An Affirmative Genealogy Hans JoasTheThe Return to Values in Recent Sociological Theory Sociology and Political Science: Learning and Challenges Toward a New Comprehensive Social Science
Humanity - the biosphere's best hope?
Human activity often has a negative impact on the Earth's ecosystems. However, according to researchers Karim Jebari and Anders Sandberg, humans are still, in the long run, the best and actually the only
The Time of Perils and a World System of Governance
Institute for Futures Studies. Working paper 2025:1 Abstract Extinction risk refers to the possibility of the extinction of the human species, and is the subject of a growing field of study. In this con We present here an argument in favor of the time of perils hypothesis. We argue that, according to several prominent theories in the field of international relations (IR), humanity (absent an extinction event) is likely to be unified under a world system of governance. By a “world system of governance” (WSG), we mean a global set of institutions, norms and structures that can settle disputes, promote trust and cooperation, and reduce great power security competetion. We explore the most prominent theories in international relations, which include: realism, liberalism and constructivism, and how these theories propose the emergence of a global system of governance. We conclude that a WSG will, if it emerges, have a significant impact on reducing extinction risk, including risks from emerging technologies, biorisk and non-anthropogenic risks. This argument, linking IR theory to existential risk is, to our knowledge, novel and potentially significant in the context of ascertaining whether existential risk prevention has astronomical value in expectation due to the vast number of potential lives that could exist in the future.
Where Does Europe End? Christian Democracy and the Expansion of Europe
Journal of Common Market Studies Abstract In this article, we argue that an analysis of the conflict around the nature and limits of European integration that arose between Catholic and Protestant Chris
Arne Jarrick
I am Professor of History at the Centre for the Study of Cultural Evolution at University of Stockholm and vice-president of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. At the Institute for Futures Studies.