Brian Gongol

The answer is probably "Yes." There are factors that make us more susceptible to disaster (witness what happens when one element in a just-in-time manufacturing process breaks down: the whole thing grinds to a halt). But others seem to make us more resilient (like the fact that millions of people now know more about computers than the brightest computer scientists of 1950, thus being better-armed to solve complex problems than ever before). It's worth taking a look at how prepared we are for catastrophic risks, but we shouldn't just throw in the towel because of fear.
