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MacAskill (2022): What We Owe the Future
webwhatweowethefuture.com·whatweowethefuture.com/
A widely read popular book that brought longtermism and existential risk—including AI risk—into mainstream discourse; foundational for understanding the moral framework underlying much of the EA and AI safety communities' priorities.
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Importance: 72/100bookprimary source
Summary
William MacAskill's book argues for 'longtermism'—the view that positively influencing the long-run future is among the most important moral priorities of our time. It makes the case that the vast number of potential future people means current choices about existential risk, value lock-in, and civilizational trajectory carry enormous moral weight. The book serves as a accessible introduction to longtermist ethics and its implications for how we act today.
Key Points
- •Introduces and defends longtermism: the ethical view that future generations matter morally and that their sheer numbers make the future's trajectory critically important.
- •Argues that existential risks (including AI-related risks) deserve far more attention because they could permanently curtail humanity's potential.
- •Warns against 'value lock-in'—scenarios where a narrow set of values becomes permanently dominant, foreclosing moral progress.
- •Contends that the current period may be unusually pivotal for shaping long-run outcomes, giving present actions outsized leverage.
- •Written for a general audience, making longtermist and existential-risk arguments accessible beyond academic philosophy.
Cited by 1 page
| Page | Type | Quality |
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| AI Structural Risk Cruxes | Crux | 66.0 |
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What We Owe The Future by William MacAskill What we owe The Future by WILLIAM MACASKILL A guide for making the future go better. Humanity’s written history spans only five thousand years. Our yet-unwritten future could last for millions more – or it could end tomorrow. Staggering numbers of people will lead lives of flourishing or misery or never live at all, depending on what we do today. BUY NOW READ THE INTRODUCTION A profoundly new perspective on human civilization and our place in it. – Lydia Cacho 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. – Ezra Klein An optimistic look at the future that moved me to tears. – Joseph Gordon-Levitt William MacAskill is an associate professor in philosophy at the University of Oxford. At the time of his appointment, he was the youngest associate professor of philosophy in the world. A Forbes 30 Under 30 social entrepreneur, he also cofounded the nonprofits Giving What We Can, the Centre for Effective Altruism, and Y Combinator–backed 80,000 Hours, which together have moved over $300 million to effective charities. He lives in Oxford, England. Read More – William MacAskill Buy the book Available at: --> Amazon Barnes & Noble Bookshop.org Indiebound Hudson Booksellers Books a Million Powell's Target Walmart see more THINK LONGTERM. ACT NOW Stay connected and make an impact. By signing up to the 80000hours.org newsletter, you’ll join a community of over 200,000 people and receive twice-monthly summaries of our latest advice for having an impact – featuring new research, events near you, and high-impact career opportunities.
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