What We Owe the Future Hardcover – August 16, 2022

What We Owe the Future by William MacAskill is a thought-provoking exploration of longtermism and the moral responsibility we have to future generations. The author argues that positively influencing the faraway future is a key moral priority of our time, and he outlines the dangers we need to avoid to have a good long-term future. MacAskill also provides tools we can use to make decisions in conditions of uncertainty and makes recommendations about what each of us can do to ensure a better future. While some readers found the book technical and mathematical, others found it accessible and inspiring. The author's argument that future people matter as much as we do, and that we need to Consider the inevitable trillions of future beings and their potential suffering or well-being when making moral decisions, resonated with many readers. However, some readers were put off by the author's atheist perspective and his casual claim that the universe is lifeless except for humans on Earth. Others criticized the author's belief that technological advancement is always synonymous with progress, and his purported encouragement of overpopulating the planet to avoid stagnation. Some readers also took issue with the author's lack of discussion on the spiritual development of humanity, and felt that his focus on mathematical formulas and moral arithmetic seemed disconnected from the real-world human experience. Overall, What We Owe the Future offers a provoking perspective on our global responsibility for future generations, but readers should be prepared for some technical language and a mathematical approach to moral philosophy.