Best book I've read this year

Incredible introduction and a great finish. This book is really going to make you change your life.

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Important

Optimistic, realistic and exciting option's for the possibility of avoiding a locked-in appalling future.

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More moral philosophy than world saving

I wanted to be inspired and was disappointed in that regard. Good in parts though.

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Great!

The narration was good and I like the perspective that it gave. It was nice

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Interesting exploration of idea of legacy

Really enjoyed the way in which the author conceptualizes humanity’s existence as a single lifetime in which we are only in our infancy, and how our choices effect our future.

Also appreciated the structured approach he takes to weighing up the impact of actions and outcomes, and the sort of Bayesian approach he recommends in the face of moral uncertainty.

The section on population ethics definitely lost me, and although the author does warn listeners / readers up front that it will be esoteric. There are so many abstractions to the philosophical questions that I certainly found the ideas debated pretty remote from real world application. The notion of a critical value for happiness did seem like a reasonable approach in the end.

While a lot of the recommendations flowing from MacAskill’s analysis are pretty generic - be politically active, raise kids well, pursue a meaningful career. Some of his other insights flowing from his analysis I.e. relative risks and impacts of areas like General Artificial Intelligence, are not what I would consider mainstream.

Overall well worth absorbing the ideas and I would agree with the philosophy behind it!

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2 people found this helpful

A great insight into what matters

A great read. The book was full of ideas that seemed so obvious and important I was surprised I had never heard them before. The book left me with a clearer sense of what I want my life to be committed to

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A surprisingly grounded book about the far future

MacAskill guides us through our reasons for caring about the future, and how we can do our best to steer humanity towards better paths.

It's packed with new research, but it's delivered in an extremely easy to listen to way. I loved it!

You can't trust most books — but you can trust this one. It's rare for an author to care so much about getting things right, and it's clear this book is careful and fact checked.

I especially enjoyed the sections on wellbeing, trying to understand how much suffering and happiness are contained in different human lives, and how to compare this, and whether the entire history of the world has been good or bad overall.

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2 people found this helpful

Loved the book!

I’d recommend this to anyone with an interest in moral philosophy and practical ethics. Succinct and powerful.

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A critical read for anyone with a conscience

I’ve admired MacAskill’s work for some time and resonated with Ord’s The Precipice so much that I changed my career direction to make a greater long-term impact. What We Owe The Future reaffirms that decision, adding texture and colour to Ord’s warnings with compelling philosophical assertions and an optimistic outlook. A firm recommendation.

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Overly political

Sorry, just not great content. Was preachy and unbalanced. I have a open mind but sadly wasn't captivated by the author's viewpoint. In one sentence... "Don't ruin the planet for future generations, it's unethical."

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