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SUMMARY:The Tragedy of the Uncommons with Prof Jonathan B. Wiener - Profes
 sor Jonathan B. Wiener\, Duke Law
DTSTART:20170726T161500Z
DTEND:20170726T180000Z
UID:TALK73151@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Jens Steffensen
DESCRIPTION:In this public lecture\, Professor Jonathan B. Wiener\, formul
 ates a distinct type of problem: ‘the tragedy of the uncommons’\, invo
 lving the misperception and mismanagement of rare catastrophic risks.\n\nT
 he ‘tragedy of the commons’ is a classic type of problem\, involving m
 ultiple actors who face individual incentives to deplete shared resources 
 and thereby impose harms on others. Such tragedies can be overcome if soci
 eties learn through experience to mobilize collective action.\n\nAlthough 
 the problem of rare and global catastrophic risk has been much discussed\,
  its sources and solutions need to be better understood. Descriptively\, o
 ne identifies psychological heuristics and political forces that underlie 
 neglect of rare catastrophic ‘uncommons’ risks\, notably the unavailab
 ility heuristic\, mass numbing\, and underdeterrence. Normatively\, one ca
 n argue that\, for rare catastrophic risks\, it is the inability to learn 
 from experience\, rather than uncertainty\, that offers the best case for 
 anticipatory precaution.\n\nProfessor Wiener suggests a twist on conventio
 nal debates: in contrast to salient experienced risks spurring greater pub
 lic concern than expert concern\, rare uncommons risks exhibit greater exp
 ert concern than public concern. Further\, optimal precaution against unco
 mmons risks requires careful analysis to avoid misplaced priorities and po
 tentially catastrophic risk–risk trade-offs. Professor Wiener offers new
  perspectives on expert vs public perceptions of risk\; impact assessment 
 and policy analysis\; and precaution\, policy learning and foresight.\n\nT
 he Q&A session will be chaired by Dr Julius Weitzdorfer.\n\nAbout the Spea
 ker\n\nJonathan B. Wiener is the William R. and Thomas L. Perkins Professo
 r of Law at Duke Law School\, Professor of Environmental Policy at the Nic
 holas School of the Environment\, and Professor of Public Policy at the Sa
 nford School of Public Policy\, at Duke University.  Before coming to Duke
 \, he worked on U.S. and international environmental policy at the White H
 ouse Council of Economic Advisers\, at the White House Office of Science a
 nd Technology Policy\, and at the US Department of Justice\, serving in bo
 th the first Bush and Clinton administrations 
LOCATION:8 Mill Lane\, Lecture Theatres\, Room 2 (Old Press Site)
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