Creating a better future

How can we ensure a promising future for all?

Cause Areas > Safeguarding the Future

Why focus on the long-term future?

Most people think we should have at least some degree of concern for future generations. But this obvious-sounding idea can lead to some surprising conclusions.

Since the future might be very long, there could be far more people in future generations than in the present generation. This means that if you want to make the world better in an impartial way (without regard to race, class, or place or time of birth) then ensuring that the future goes well is probably one of the most impactful things you could do.

Many in the effective altruism community share this view that ensuring a bright future is one of the most pressing moral priorities of our time. Initial research also suggests that safeguarding the longterm future could be a highly cost effective way of doing good, given that it scores highly on scale, neglectedness and tractability:

Scale

Āwhata

If the Earth remains habitable for the 600–800 million years currently predicted, there could be over 20 million future generations.¹

Neglectedness

Mahuetanga

Future generations— especially those who might live more than 100 years from now— are highly neglected in philanthropy and policy work.² Because they have no voice in the present, they depend entirely on our generosity.

Solvability

Whakaotitanga

It’s hard to predict how our actions will affect the long term future, and even harder to check the outcomes. However, there do seem to be some promising approaches, such as reducing existential risks.³

¹²³ For full references and more information see 80,000 Hours’ in-depth report on longtermism

Learn more with a free book

We’re giving away free copies of William MacAskill’s book, What We Owe The Future, to help people learn more about longtermism. Request your free copy below.

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