Precipice

Our potential is vast. We have so much to protect.

We stand at the most important moment in our history. Nuclear weapons mean that for the first time, we have the capacity to destroy ourselves. And as new technologies widen the gap between our power and our wisdom, we are subject to an ever-increasing level of risk.

What must be done to safeguard our future? With wisdom, care and technical brilliance, philosopher Toby Ord examines the existential risks that we face, and calculates the probabilities of their jeopardising our future. From familiar risks such as nuclear war and climate change to emerging ones, such as biotechnology and advanced artificial intelligence, this is a clear-eyed look at what must be done to save us, and a passionate imagining of all we could become.