“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 put humanity’s course to right, our grandchildren’s grandchildren will thrive, knowing we did everything we could to give them a world full of justice, hope and beauty.
Praise
“Touchingly optimistic… With something to ponder on every page, a bracing exhortation to do right by the people of centuries to come.”
—Kirkus—Sam Harris, five-time New York Times bestselling author and host of the Making Sense podcast
—Stephen Fry, actor
—Bill McKibben, environmentalist and author of The End of Nature
—Lydia Cacho, journalist and author of The Demons of Eden
—Julia Galef, author of The Scout Mindset
—Joseph Gordon-Levitt, actor
—AJ Jacobs, editor at large of Esquire Magazine
—Larissa MacFarquhar, staff writer for The New Yorker and author of Strangers Drowning
“To assess what really matters it always helps to zoom out, and Will MacAskill is probably the world’s best zoom-outer. What We Owe The Future brilliantly shows us the biggest picture of all and persuasively reminds us of the vast impact we can all have.”
—Tim Urban, co-founder of Wait but Why“I expected William MacAskill to write a forceful and persuasive argument for caring more about future people and this book did not disappoint. But it’s so much more—What We Owe The Future is an engaged and deeply original exploration of questions ranging from the contingency of moral progress, to the perils of AI, to the very nature of a happy and fulfilled life. It’s an important, stimulating, and delightful book.”
—Paul Bloom