Millennial Tendencies in Responses to Apocalyptic Threats

Since Aaron Wildavsky proposed in 1987 that cultural orientations such as egalitarianism and individualism frame public perceptions of technological risks, a body of empirical research has grown to affirm the risk-framing effects of personality and culture (Dake, 1991; Gastil et al., 2005; Kahan, 2008). Most of these studies have focused on relatively mundane risks, however, such as handguns, nuclear power, genetically modified food, and cellphone radiation. In the contemplation of truly catastrophic risks, risks to the future of the species from technology or natural threats, a different and deeper set of cognitive biases come into play, the millennial, utopian or apocalyptic psycho-cultural bundle, a characteristic dynamic of eschatological beliefs and behaviors. This essay is an attempt to outline the characteristic forms millennialism has taken, and how it biases assessment of catastrophic risks and the courses of action necessary to address them.