What We Owe the Future
by William MacAskill
Narrated by William MacAskill
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Pub Date Aug 16 2022 | Archive Date Aug 12 2022
RB Media | Recorded Books
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Description
“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.
Advance Praise
“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
“No living philosopher has had a greater impact upon my ethics than Will MacAskill. 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, five-time New York Times bestselling author and host of the Making Sense podcast
“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 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 monumental event. William MacAskill is one of the most important philosophers alive today, and this is his magnum opus.” —Rutger Bregman, Dutch historian and author of Utopia for Realists
Available Editions
| EDITION | Audiobook, Unabridged |
| ISBN | 9781980044369 |
| PRICE | $24.99 (USD) |
| DURATION | 9 Hours |
