The hinge of history is a hypothetical time in human history in which humanity has disproportionate influence over the long-term future. The hinge of history hypothesis is the view that we are currently living at the hinge of history.[1][2] The hypothesis has been explicitly endorsed by a number of key figures in the effective altruism community, including Derek Parfit,[3][4][5] Toby Ord[6] and Holden Karnofsky,[7] and is arguably implicit in the writings of other prominent authors, such as Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nick Bostrom.
Whether the hinge of history hypothesis is true may determine how the present generation ought to prioritize between causes or choose between giving and investing, and may have other important implications.