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What we owe the future / William MacAskill.

Summary:
"One of the most stunning achievements of moral philosophy is something we take for granted: moral universalism, or the idea that every human has equal moral worth. In What We Owe the Future, Oxford philosopher William MacAskill demands that we go a step further, arguing that people not only have equal moral worth no matter where or how they live, but also no matter when they live. This idea has implications beyond the obvious (climate change) - including literally making sure that there are people in the future: It's not unusual to hear someone way, "Oh, I could never bring a child into this world." MacAskill argues that the sentiment itself may well be immoral: we have a responsibility not just to consider whether the world of the future will be suitable for supporting humans, but to act to make sure there are humans in it. And while it may seem that the destructive capacity of modern industrial technology means that we ought to eschew it as much as possible, MacAskill argues for optimism in our ability to (eventually) get technology right, for the future's benefit, and ours. Where Hans Rosling's Factfulness and Rutger Bregman's Utopia for Realists gave us reasons for hope and action in the present, What We Owe the Future is a compelling and accessible argument for why solving our problems demands that we worry about the future. And ultimately it provides an answer to the most important question we humans face: can we not just endure, but thrive?"-- Provided by publisher.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9781541618626
  • ISBN: 1541618629
  • Physical Description: vii, 335 pages : illustrations, charts ; 25 cm
  • Edition: First edition.
  • Publisher: New York, NY : Basic Books, Hachette Book Group, 2022.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Formatted Contents Note:
Part I. The Long View: The case for longtermism -- You can shape the course of history -- Part II. Trajectory Changes: Moral change -- Value lock-in -- Part III. Safeguarding Civilisation: Extinction -- Collapse -- Stagnation -- Part IV. Assessing the End of the World: Is it good to make happy people? -- Will the future be good or bad? -- Part V. Taking Action: What to do.
Subject: Altruism.
Civilization, Modern > Forecasting.
Future, The.
Human beings > Forecasting.
Human beings > Extinction.

Available copies

  • 14 of 14 copies available at SPARK Libraries.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 14 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Albright Memorial Library 171 MACASKI (Text) 50686016241338 Adult Nonfiction Available -
Altoona Area Public Library 171.8 MAC (Text) 33240004729441 Adult Nonfiction Available -
Cambria County Library 171.8 M116w (Text) 85131001841288 CACM Non-Fiction Available -
Dalton Community Library 171 MACASKILL (Text) 50689090008482 Browsing Available -
Dillsburg Area Public Library Adults 171 MAC Nonfiction (Text) 34001001425212 Adult Area Available -
Dover Area Community Library Adults 171 MAC Nonfiction (Text) 34217000894204 Adult Area Available -
Indian Valley Public Library 171.8 MacAskill Philosophy (Text) 39427103676441 Nonfiction Room: Adult Nonfiction Available -
Littlestown Library 171.8 MACASKILL (Text)
Endowment: Mildred O. Zanger Named Endowment, 2022
35740635868144 Nonfiction Available -
Parkland Community Library 171.8 MAC (Text) 34422007271832 Adult Nonfiction Available -
Reading Public Library RPL - Main 171.8 Mac (Text) 33223008943192 Non-fiction Available -


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