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,the 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.
Publisher: Oneworld PublicationsISBN: 9780861542505Dimensions: 234 x 153 x 30 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'This book is a monumental event. William MacAskill is one of the most important philosophers alive today,and this is his magnum opus.'- Rutger Bregman,author of Humankind
'No living philosopher has had a greater impact upon my ethics than Will MacAskill. And much of the good I now do is the direct result of his influence. In What We Owe The Future,MacAskill has transformed my thinking once again,by patiently dismantling the lazy intuitions that rendered me morally blind to the interests of future generations. This is an altogether thrilling and necessary book.'- Sam Harris
'I was captivated by MacAskill's rolling out of the possibilities of a longtermist approach to the now. It is vital to do as he does,to take ethics out of the safety of lecture-hall thought experiments,paradoxes and what-ifs and into the turbulent real world,where the dynamic winds of history blow and where is massing on the horizon that monstrous,swelling tsunami that we call the future. This is a book of great daring,clarity,insight and imagination. To be simultaneously so realistic and so optimistic,and always so damned readable... well that is a miracle for which he should be greatly applauded.'- Stephen Fry
'Many books promise a new "big idea",but few deliver one as brilliant as MacAskill's in What We Owe The Future. A fascinating,profound read.'- Julia Galef
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