Penguin Random House | Munich, 10/30/2023

Readable: "What we owe the future" by William MacAskill

Today in the Lesbar we are presenting "What we owe the future" by William MacAskill. In his new bestseller, the philosopher addresses the question of how people today can make the right decisions to enable their grandchildren's grandchildren to live a life of security and happiness. The German edition was published by Siedler at the end of August.

William MacAskill, born in 1987, became the world's youngest tenured professor of philosophy in 2015 at the age of 28. He is one of the most influential philosophers, activists and founders of the global "Effective Altruism" movement. Last year, MacAskill published "What we owe the future", a new philosophical work that became a New York Times bestseller as soon as it was published and deals with the question of how people today can make the right decisions to enable their grandchildren's grandchildren to live a life of security and happiness. The German edition of the highly acclaimed work, entitled "Was wir der Zukunft schulden" (What we owe the future), was published by Siedler at the end of August.

"What We Owe the Future" is a passionate manifesto for long-term thinking and action. Using many examples from different areas of life, William MacAskill shows how we all shape the world of tomorrow with our decisions today and thus not only the fate of our own children, but also the future, the reality of life and the security of many more generations of people. According to MacAskill, how we can positively influence the distant future today and now must therefore be the highest moral priority of our time. From this perspective, it is not enough to mitigate the consequences of climate change or prevent the next pandemic. Today, we need to ensure that humanity can recover after a collapse. The author makes it clear that only if we change course immediately, make moral thinking and action a maxim again and do everything in our power to leave behind a just world worth living in, will generations living far into the future also fare well.

"William MacAskill is one of the most important contemporary philosophers, and this is his magnum opus," says Dutch author, activist and historian Rutger Bregman. The US actor and director Joseph Gordon-Levitt says: "An optimistic view of the future that moved me to tears." And the US trade magazine "Kirkus" judges: "Touchingly optimistic ... Every page is thought-provoking, an encouraging reminder to do the right thing for the people of the coming centuries."

William MacAskill, born in Glasgow in 1987, is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Oxford, researcher at the Global Priorities Institute in Oxford and Director of the Forethought Foundation for Global Priorities Research. His research specialises in ethics and moral philosophy. MacAskill is one of the pioneers of Effective Altruism and co-founder of Giving What We Can, 80,000 Hours and the Centre for Effective Altruism. In 2017, he was included in Forbes' "30 Under 30" list as a social entrepreneur. The World Economic Forum has also recognised him as a Young Global Shaper. MacAskill lives in Oxford, England.