Why we shouldn’t be scared of the Doomsday Clock

In an act of childlike petulance, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists (BAS) have moved the Doomsday Clock closer to midnight, so that we now sit just two minutes away from the destruction of humanity. In doing so, the BAS have once again proved that they truly are the most gloomy of modern academics in existence. In a world run by the such scientists, we would all be bundled into bubble-wrap and crushed under the weight of their misery. Thankfully, we don’t live in such a world; we live in a world moving radically to better the lives of billions. We must banish the ‘culture of fear’ that has pervaded modern society. The truth has to be held on a pedestal, and the message of human progress has to be spread.

It is fashionable, especially in left-wing circles, to believe that global suffering is on the increase. Typically such an argument involves emotive language and supposed empathy with the victims. Rather than celebrating the accomplishments of the past half-century and the dramatic reduction in global suffering, some still unnecessarily revel in the negative. Global extreme poverty has been reduced from 47% in 1990 to 22% in 2010 and only continues to fall. More children attend school than at any point in human history, fewer people are dying of diseases such as malaria and AIDS. Global incomes per capita are rising as people experience genuinely higher qualities of life. Yet, the BAS and many other NGOs like to claim that we’re in perpetual suffering.

To focus on the actual content of the decision to move the Doomsday Clock closer to midnight, the scientists cite the biggest contributor to this decision as ‘a breakdown in the global political order’. Yes, you read right, we are closer to being obliterated as a species because of events like Brexit and the election of Donald Trump. Excuse me while I go and inform those being pulled out of poverty that their lives will soon end due to the election of an old, orange tinged man.

The last thing the public need to hear is lab-coat wearers preaching liberalism with little knowledge of the social factors behind such events

The hilarity of citing a breakdown in political order as a reason that we’re closer to destruction is absurd on a level not seen since George Bush dodged a flying shoe in Baghdad. The report published along with the decision actually reads like any typical western progressive’s book of regrets. Everything is a coded dig at populism, Trump and Brexit. I’ll personally take it with a pinch of salt. We are already tired of politicians belittling us, for instance David Cameron’s threat of World War Three if we voted to leave the EU. The last thing the public need to hear is lab-coat wearers preaching liberalism with little knowledge of the social factors behind such events.

The second mistake the Bulletin makes is its overly simplistic comparison of events today to the past. This is a typical trope. These ‘dark’ times filled with dread, oppression and pain are supposedly reminicent of the 1930s. This is again typically twaddle. Attempting to link nazism and modern populism is insulting and demeans the victims of such a horrific ideology. To think that the world is as dangerous today as it was in the 1930s is pure fantasy and suggests a pretty weak understanding of both modern politics and history. This is not to be expected from academics unless of-course they have a political agenda.

This is further evidence of the facts being twisted to make a political point

Climate change is happening, there is unequivocal proof for this. However, it is wrong to factor this into the Doomsday Clock calculations. Even according to the most extreme climate models, which are most probably not going to happen, it will take centuries for humanity to be wiped out. This makes a mockery of the idea of the Doomsday Clock. If midnight is metaphorically when we are all going to wiped out then how can it be that an event that may cause our destruction be included on the Doomsday Clock? This is further evidence of the facts being twisted to make a political point and more evidence of why we shouldn’t take the Doomsday Clock seriously.

The stench of pessimism seems to be filling society. The idea that everything that can go wrong is going wrong and will continue to go wrong is now the status-quo. For the life of me, I can’t quite work out what joy there is in being pessimistic and downbeat, especially when it runs contrary to all evidence. It is organisations like the BAS and their willing cheerleaders in the media that are whipping up this culture of fear and pessimism. As shown above, the claims are well and truly baseless, but the culture of fear remains a part of our society. It’s time to rid ourselves of this culture and proudly admit that humanity is forever underrated in its resilience, determination and commitment to progress.