Evolution and existential risk with observation selection bias

Thesis

If life emerges on a planet, is it likely to become intelligent? And if intelligent life does emerge, how long will it persist? These two questions motivate this thesis, and are linked by a common methodological challenge associated with observer selection effects. An observer selection effect is a particular type of sampling bias that occurs when a sample is not representative of all out- comes, but rather a subset of outcomes compatible with the existence of the observers. Naive...

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Authors: Snyder-Beattie, A

• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford