this post was submitted on 28 Jan 2025
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Summary

The "Doomsday Clock" has been moved to 89 seconds to midnight, the closest it has ever been, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

The group cited threats including climate change, nuclear proliferation, the war in Ukraine, pandemics, and the integration of AI into military operations.

Concerns about cooperation between Russia, China, and North Korea on nuclear programs and the potential use of nuclear weapons by Russia were highlighted.

The group urged global leaders to collaborate in addressing existential threats to reverse the clock's progression.

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[–] [email protected] 53 points 2 days ago (13 children)

The doomsday clock is goofy. What benefit is there to setting an arbitrary value on a bad-o-meter?

[–] [email protected] 19 points 2 days ago (6 children)

It's especially stupid as a clock whose time is continually stopped, and whose time is either adjusted forward a few seconds or backward a few seconds every few years. That metaphor just makes no sense.

Some arbitrary score out of 100 would make as little sense, but at least it wouldn't involve a strange nonsensical metaphor.

The concept they're really trying to communicate is better illustrated by the Sword of Damocles. It's a danger that's always looming that could turn into disaster at any time. But, nobody knows exactly when. If they switched to using a Sword of Damocles metaphor, they could talk about strands in the rope holding the sword getting frayed or breaking. Like, one strand represents the environment. One represents the possibility of nuclear war. One represents global health and pandemics. When something good happens, like an environmental treaty, they could talk about how that strand was being repaired.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 days ago (1 children)

It is a more accurate and more versatile metaphor.

However, even the stupidest of people know what a clock is, if not how they work. "It's almost midnight" is about as much nuance as is consumable by the masses.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Except every year it's "It's almost midnight".

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Midnight does happen once a year

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Perhaps even thrice.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 days ago

But it is a different "almost".

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