An Instant New York Times Bestseller
"This book will change your sense of how grand the sweep of human
history could be, where you fit into it, and how much you could do to
change it for the better. It's as simple, and as ambitious, as that."
--Ezra Klein
An Oxford philosopher makes the case for "longtermism" -- that
positively influencing the long-term future is a key moral priority of
our time.
The fate of the world is in our hands. Humanity's written history spans
only five thousand years. Our yet-unwritten future could last for
millions more -- or it could end tomorrow. Astonishing numbers of people
could lead lives of great happiness or unimaginable suffering, or never
live at all, depending on what we choose to do today.
In What We Owe The Future, philosopher William MacAskill argues for
longtermism, that idea that positively influencing the distant future is
a key moral priority of our time. From this perspective, it's not enough
to reverse climate change or avert the next pandemic. We must ensure
that civilization would rebound if it collapsed; counter the end of
moral progress; and prepare for a planet where the smartest beings are
digital, not human.
If we make wise choices today, our grandchildren's grandchildren will
thrive, knowing we did everything we could to give them a world full of
justice, hope and beauty.
