Time and Politics under Lethal Threats

This thought-provoking book examines the interactions between time, politics, scientific evidence and philosophy in order to understand how the emergence of lethal challenges to civilisation, such as nuclear weapons, climate change and possibly artificial intelligence, is already generating a fledgling ‘politics for the future’, based on rational fear rather than utopian hope. Furio Cerutti discusses the unprecedented relevance of time in contemporary politics when considering the futures of those challenges which are sufficiently known to the present members of humankind. Chapters explore the conflictual coexistence of traditional politics with the burgeoning politics for the future, which centres science-based policymaking in respect of future generations for political rather than ethical reasons. In this, Cerutti sees a chance for a move away from populism and democratic short-termism, calling for timely action to preserve the global commons, but also to protect the financial future of welfare systems – a pillar of liberal democracy. Time and Politics under Lethal Threats is an innovative resource for students and academics of political science, political theory, philosophy and ethics. It is also a valuable read for practitioners and policymakers in think tanks, government and international institutions.