Conversations   

In this riveting interview, we will delve into history’s deadliest pattern- The Thucydides Trap. Beginning with Athens and Sparta, hear how 12 of 16 historical superpower transitions erupted in devastating conflict. We’ll ask renowned political scientist James Morrow whether humanity stands at the edge of a catastrophe. As China’s meteoric rise challenges American hegemony, ancient patterns documented by the Thucydides 2,500 years ago suggest a collision course towards conflict. Can diplomatic maneuvers and economic interdependence overcome the gravitational pull of great power competition, or have we already crossed the threshold where historical forces make confrontation inevitable. The stakes couldn’t be higher - peace in our time or tragedy of another unnecessary war.

Distinguished political scientist, James Morrow, Ph.D. brings exceptional credentials to this exploration of the Thucydides Trap. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and Karl Deutsch award recipient, Morrow has authored three influential books and over 60 scholarly publications on power transitions, crisis bargaining and war causation. Having served as president of the Peace Science Society and on the National Science Foundation Advisory Panel, his pioneering application of game theory to international relations provides viewers with authoritative insights into whether US-China competition is destined for catastrophic conflict. 

Fermi’s Paradox stands as a cornerstone inquiry in astrobiology and cosmology, encapsulating a profound mystery and is a fundamental question in astrobiology and cosmology that can be boiled down to a seemingly simple inquiry given the following premises:

◆The universe is staggeringly vast, containing billions of galaxies.

◆There are trillions of planets that could potentially support life.

◆The universe is approximately 13.8 billion years old.

◆Life emerged relatively swiftly on Earth.

◆Many stars in the galaxy are significantly older than our Sun.

Why, then, have we not detected any signs of extraterrestrial intelligence? This paradox, first articulated by physicist Enrico Fermi in 1950, highlights the contradiction between the high probability of extraterrestrial civilizations and the complete lack of evidence for their existence. Despite the vast number of potentially habitable planets and the age of the universe, we have yet to observe any definitive signs of alien life. This absence of evidence raises fundamental questions about the nature of life in the cosmos and our place within it.

Michael R. Meyer (born 1967, A.B. Physics, Washington University in St. Louis, M.S. in Physics, University of Missouri, PhD in Astronomy, University of Massachusetts) was Chair of Star and Planet Formation at the ETH in Zürich (2009-2016) and was formerly a Professor/Astronomer at the Department of Astronomy/Steward Observatory of the University of Arizona (2000-2009). He was a Hubble Fellow at the University of Arizona (1997-2000) and did a post-doc at the MaxPlanck-Institute for Astronomy (1995-1997). He has more than 25 years of international scientific research experience, in the fields of galactic and infrared astronomy, as well as the formation, evolution, and characterization of planetary systems (and associated implications on the prospects for life in the Universe).