Book Review: *What We Owe the Future*

Abstract

The book “What We Owe The Future” by Will MacAskill argues that we have moral obligations to people who are not yet born and to people in the distant future. MacAskill calls this “long-termism.” He claims that long-termists should focus on preparing against existential catastrophes, fighting climate change, and ensuring the safety of AI. Critics argue that long-termism is insensitive to suffering in the present and makes little difference to the actions we should take in the near term.