I’ll be honest when I first picked up The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity by Toby Ord, I figured it would be another grim tour of all the ways the world could end. And sure, there’s some of that. But what caught me off guard was how much more it’s really about. It’s not just a catalog of disasters; it’s a deep, thoughtful argument about moral responsibility, long-term thinking, and what we actually owe to the future. Ord isn’t just asking how we fix today’s problems. He’s asking something much bigger: How do we make sure humanity even has a tomorrow?
Right from the start, he lands on something striking. Over the last few centuries, we’ve made incredible progress, science, medicine, tech, governance, all of it has lifted human well-being in ways our ancestors couldn’t have imagined. But here’s the twist: that same progress has handed us the power to wipe it all out. Ord argues we’re living through a unique, dangerous moment where our capabilities have raced ahead of our wisdom. He calls it the precipice, a narrow window where we have to learn how to manage the risks we’ve created before it’s too late.
One idea in the book really stuck with me. He says the real cost of an existential catastrophe isn’t just losing the people alive today. It’s losing every generation that would have come after. Every future scientific breakthrough, every piece of art, every human life that could have been, gone. Even if you don’t buy his exact numbers, the core insight is hard to shake: the future could hold vastly more people than exist now, which means our choices today carry enormous moral weight.
Ord also introduces this concept he calls the Long Reflection, basically, a deliberate pause where we step back and think about what kind of future we actually want, before our technologies get even more powerful. Instead of just sprinting ahead with innovation, he argues we need to strengthen global institutions, improve cooperation between countries, and develop the wisdom to govern these powerful tools responsibly. Progress without foresight, he warns, might be one of the biggest dangers we face.
For anyone in the Effective Altruism space, I think the book’s most valuable contribution is how it stretches our moral concern across time. A lot of the conversation in development focuses on today’s problems, poverty, disease, conflict, and rightly so. But Ord reminds us that our responsibilities don’t stop with people alive right now. The decisions we make about nuclear security, AI, biotechnology, climate, and global governance could shape the lives of countless future generations. That’s a humbling thought. It pushes us to think not just about immediate impact, but about safeguarding humanity’s long-term potential.
That said, reading this from an African perspective, I kept bumping into some tough questions. Across the continent, so many countries are still dealing with urgent, overwhelming challenges, poverty, food insecurity, weak institutions, conflict, unemployment, limited healthcare. When people are struggling to get by today, how do you balance investing in long-term existential risks with those immediate needs? It’s a tension that doesn’t get enough airtime in the EA community, especially since low-income countries often contribute the least to global catastrophic risks but are among the most vulnerable to them.
And then there’s the question of who’s actually at the table. Most of the conversation around existential risk is driven by institutions in Europe and North America. But if we’re talking about humanity’s future, shouldn’t we be hearing from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and other regions too? Their experiences, priorities, and knowledge could really enrich these discussions. Building a truly global approach to existential risk isn’t just about technical expertise—it’s about inclusive governance and making sure diverse voices are part of the conversation.
Overall, The Precipice does something pretty remarkable: it expands your moral horizon. It pushes you to think beyond your own career, your donations, or even national policies, and to consider what we owe to the shared future of humanity. Whether you fully agree with Ord or not, the questions he raises are worth sitting with. Because protecting the future isn’t just a scientific or political challenge—it’s an ethical one.
Questions for Discussion
How should Effective Altruism balance investing in existential risk reduction with the immediate development challenges facing low-income countries?
Are there existential risks that haven’t been explored enough from an African perspective?
What role should African governments, universities, and civil society play in preparing for emerging global risks like AI, biotechnology, and pandemics?
Does focusing on the very long-term risk distract from the urgent needs of people alive today, or can both priorities be pursued together?
I’d love to hear from others, especially those working in development, public policy, or global health,about how you think through balancing present needs with our responsibilities to future generations.
#PlateauStateUniversityBokkos #Directorateofresearch #EAfellowship
