This event is organised by the Future of Humanity Institute

Rupert Read will argue that the Precautionary Principle, when properly understood / recast, as primarily directed against sane possibilities of ruin, is immune to the criticisms often made of it as a ‘paranoid’ or unworkable policy-tool. If humanity is to have a secure future, we need to build down the chances of ruinous ‘tail-events’. The Precautionary Principle, mandating us to seek out non-ruinous paths unless we are in a genuine triage situation (in which cost-benefit calculations or indeed more chancy expediencies may be unavoidable), is an essential element in securing this future.