The Precipice : Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity

From one of the world’s leading moral voices, this urgent and eye-opening book makes the case that

protecting humanity’s future is the central challenge of our time.

If all goes well, human history is just beginning. Our species could survive for billions of years—enough time to

end disease, poverty, and injustice, and to flourish in ways unimaginable today. But this vast future is at risk. With the

advent of nuclear weapons, humanity entered a new age, where we face existential catastrophes—those from which we

could never come back. Since then, these dangers have only multiplied, from climate change to engineered pathogens

and unaligned artificial intelligence. If we do not act fast to reach a place of safety, it will soon be too late.

Drawing on over a decade of research, The Precipice explores the cutting-edge science behind the risks we face. It

puts them in the context of the greater story of humanity, showing how ending these risks is among the most pressing

moral issues of our time. And it points the way forward, to the actions and strategies that can safeguard humanity.

An Oxford philosopher committed to putting ideas into action, Toby Ord has advised the US National Intelligence

Council, the UK Prime Minister’s Office, and the World Bank on the greatest challenges facing humanity. In The

Precipice, he offers a startling reassessment of human history, the future we are failing to protect, and the steps we must

take to ensure that our generation is not the last.