Conference: Disrupted Balance — Society at Risk

The central issues for the conference are the serious risks that our society runs if the balance in the systems that uphold it is disrupted. On a global and historical scale disruptions in such systems happen quite frequently. In fact, as one of the speakers will show, disasters with a small probability happen all the time. Therefore the conference is not about the probability that such disruptive events occur, but about the effects such disruptions may have on society. The conference is meant to capture the attention of leaders who see risk not as an academic issue, but as something they have to deal with as part of their responsibilities in society. They need to think the unthinkable and anticipate disruptions in crucial systems in society and its effects on it.

In the conference, twelve eminent speakers will discuss in depth and with great authority the effects of disruptions in our food and water supplies, financial systems, trust in our science and governance systems, invasions in our cyber space and the inescapable future of uncontrollable pandemics and it disruptive powers.

In a more general sense, questions will be discussed like: How the risk of a disrupted balance will manifest itself in society and what resilience means in view of those risks? Finally, the relevance of historic cases of disrupted balances to managing our present day society and its environment will be illustrated by answering the question “Why did Angkor Wat collapse”?

The audience will be invited to include senior people from across the globe and especially from Singapore and East and South Asia who deal with risk as part of their responsibilities in society.

The format of the conference will stimulate intense discussions in an informal setting between the speakers and the participants.