Philosophy
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What We Owe the Future
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.
"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.
Editorial Reviews
"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, host of The Ezra Klein Show podcast
"An optimistic look at the future that moved me to tears."
―Joseph Gordon-Levitt, actor
"What We Owe The Future makes the case for thinking seriously about the very long term. It gives a profoundly new perspective on human civilization and our place in it."
―Lydia Cacho, journalist and author of The Demons of Eden
"Touchingly optimistic… With something to ponder on every page, a bracing exhortation to do right by the people of centuries to come."
―Kirkus
"MacAskill delivers a sweeping analysis of contemporary dangers that masterfully probes the intersections of technology, science, and politics, while offering fascinating glimpses into humanity's possible futures. This urgent call to action will inspire and unnerve in equal measure."―Publishers Weekly
"What We Owe the Future is an instructive, intelligent book. It has a lot to teach us about history and the future, about neglected risks and moral myopia."―Boston Review
"No living philosopher has had a greater impact upon my ethics than Will MacAskill. In What We Owe The Future, MacAskillhas 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, five-time New York Times bestselling author and host of the Making Sense podcast
"An exciting new book."―Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution
"An extraordinary book. I've never read something so deep and fundamental, and so accessible at the same time . . . The publication of this book is a...
"An optimistic look at the future that moved me to tears."
―Joseph Gordon-Levitt, actor
"What We Owe The Future makes the case for thinking seriously about the very long term. It gives a profoundly new perspective on human civilization and our place in it."
―Lydia Cacho, journalist and author of The Demons of Eden
"Touchingly optimistic… With something to ponder on every page, a bracing exhortation to do right by the people of centuries to come."
―Kirkus
"MacAskill delivers a sweeping analysis of contemporary dangers that masterfully probes the intersections of technology, science, and politics, while offering fascinating glimpses into humanity's possible futures. This urgent call to action will inspire and unnerve in equal measure."―Publishers Weekly
"What We Owe the Future is an instructive, intelligent book. It has a lot to teach us about history and the future, about neglected risks and moral myopia."―Boston Review
"No living philosopher has had a greater impact upon my ethics than Will MacAskill. In What We Owe The Future, MacAskillhas 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, five-time New York Times bestselling author and host of the Making Sense podcast
"An exciting new book."―Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution
"An extraordinary book. I've never read something so deep and fundamental, and so accessible at the same time . . . The publication of this book is a...
Readers Top Reviews
David J. Aldous
"This book is about longtermism: the idea that positively influencing the longterm future is a key moral priority of our time". The author starts with three intriguing metaphors: Humanity as an imprudent teenager whose decisions will have lifetime consequences; History as molten glass -- society might set in a fixed unchangeable state; Trying to make the future better as a risky expedition into uncharted terrain. I give the book 5 stars because it is a well written and thought-provoking account of a neglected important topic. Much of the book is eminently sensible, so my comments are just a few counterpoints to a few of the topics discussed, though I have one substantial criticism at the end. Start with the axiom "future people count". This seems unobjectionable, but one then confronts questions like "is the world better for having more people leading good lives?" What are the trade-offs between present,near future, and far future costs and benefits? Is a larger population preferable to a smaller population? Chapter 8 discusses such "population ethics" questions via thought experiments. This is fascinating as an intellectual exercise, but it is perhaps not surprising that there are no very satisfactory answers. Another theme starts with "values are contingent" -- for instance, that in an alternate history, large-scale legal slavery might have continued through the 20th Century. The author speculates that the current era of rapid technological and economic growth exhibits unusual "plasticity", in the sense that actions or their neglect today might lead to a "values lock-in" over the next century or two, so we should attempt to steer in the desired direction today. In particular this is applied to the development of AGIs, though the specific possible consequences described seem unconvincing to me. Chapter 7 worries about possible future "technological stagnation"", and indeed the author writes later "the risk of technological stagnation alone suffices to make the net longterm effect of having children positive". This seems curious at first sight, but his point is that the world economy might end in an unsustainable state as regards climate change and resource depletion. The final "What to do" Chapter 10 contains an interesting analysis, along the lines of the "effective altruism" movement that the author has been involved with. Changing personal consumption has little effect, except perhaps for becoming vegetarian. Donating to charities carefully chosen to maximize good, political activism and "spreading good ideas" are recommended. Less familiar is the discussion of career choices -- what will be the overall effect of your 80,000 lifetime hours of work? On the technical side (my own background is mathematical probability), the use of mathematical expectation (expected significance, expected contingency, expe...
