This November-December, Effective Altruism Gothenburg is once again hosting a book club, and this time we'll read and discuss “What We Owe the Future” by William MacAskill. Here is a brief outline of what the book is about:
Humanity’s written history spans only 5,000 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’: the 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; and prepare for a planet where the smartest beings are likely to be digital, not human.
If we make wise choices today, our grandchildren’s grandchildren will have a better chance to thrive, and will know we did everything we could to give them a world full of justice, hope, and beauty.
If you want to join the book club then make sure to get the book! Get it in whatever format you prefer, but here is a good alternative:
https://www.bokus.com/.../9780861.../what-we-owe-the-future/
If you want to join the book club, but are not sure you want to spend the money to buy it, reach out to us and we can get it for you! You can reach us at [email protected]
The book club will be hosted online so you don’t have to be in Gothenburg to join us! A link to the zoom call will be posted here. There will be five meetings, on Thursdays at 18:00 (CET) on the following dates:
Session 1 - 2022-11-17
- Chapter 1: The Case for Longtermism
- Chapter 2: You Can Shape the Course of History
Session 2 - 2022-11-24
- Chapter 3: Moral Change
- Chapter 4: Value Lock-In
Session 3 - 2022-12-01
- Chapter 5: Extinction
- Chapter 6: Collapse
Session 4 - 2022-12-08
- Chapter 7: Stagnation
- Chapter 8: Is It Good to Make Happy People?
Session 5 - 2022-12-15
- Chapter 9: Will the Future Be Good or Bad?
- Chapter 10: What to Do
- Afterwards
You are welcome to join as many or as few sessions as you like, even if you miss the first one. Each session will be a stand-alone discussion where we talk about the part we have just read.
About Effective Altruism:
Effective Altruism (EA) is a philosophy and social movement that uses evidence and reasoning to determine the most effective ways to help others. It’s a diverse community of researchers, entrepreneurs and philanthropists spread around the globe, working together in various areas such as risks of emerging technologies, animal welfare and global health to solve the world’s most pressing problems.
About Effective Altruism Gothenburg:
We hope to spread the word about Effective Altruism and to create a community here in Gothenburg. The student association is open to anyone interested in effective altruism.