Member Review

This is a fascinating book that explains and advocates "longtermism," the idea that we should give significant weight to the long-term future--centuries, millennia, eons--in setting social and individual priorities today. MacAskill, a philosopher, brings intellectual rigor to perplexing questions about the consequences of our actions, the well-being of humans (and other sentient beings), and how to choose among competing priorities and pressures. Ironically, short-term considerations--a busy schedule--prevent me from writing about this book in more detail at the moment, but I recommend this thoughtful treatise that ranges across topics including climate change, artificial intelligence, animal welfare, economic stagnation, and the merits of having kids.