Philosophy · Book club
What We Owe the Future book club questions
Here are 12 book club questions for What We Owe the Future by William MacAskill, ordered to open easily and end somewhere worth arguing about. Copy them, print them, or bring them up one at a time.
What We Owe the Future is philosopher William MacAskill's case for "longtermism" — the view that positively influencing the long-run trajectory of human civilization should be a primary moral priority.
William MacAskill · 2022 · 6h 0m
Full summary and key takeaways →The 12 questions
- 1.
MacAskill's argument depends on future people mattering as much as present ones. Do you find that intuition compelling or does it feel like an abstraction?
- 2.
He uses scale to motivate longtermism: there could be trillions of future people. Does the sheer number of future lives override the concrete interests of current people in your view?
- 3.
What's the difference between longtermism as MacAskill presents it and ordinary long-term thinking as institutions and governments already practice it?
- 4.
The book worries about value lock-in — the wrong values becoming permanent. Who decides what 'wrong values' are, and does that problem undermine the argument?
- 5.
MacAskill acknowledges that population ethics is deeply controversial. How much does the book's argument depend on accepting a specific view of population ethics?
- 6.
He argues AI risk is one of the most pressing longtermist priorities. Does that seem right to you, and how would you compare it to climate change or pandemic risk?
- 7.
What does 'moral circle expansion' mean in the book's context, and why does MacAskill think it's important for the long run?
- 8.
Is longtermism a rebranding of consequentialism, or does it make genuinely new claims?
- 9.
The book argues career choice is a major moral decision. How would you apply the longtermist framework to your own work?
- 10.
MacAskill worries about a small group gaining decisive global control. Is there a plausible scenario in which that would be a good outcome?
- 11.
He treats institutional diversity and balance of power as intrinsic goods for the long run. What would undermine those in the next fifty years?
- 12.
Where do you think the argument is strongest and where do you think it fails?
How to run the discussion
- Pick six to eight, not all of them. An hour of real discussion covers fewer questions than anyone expects, and racing the list is what makes a book club feel like homework.
- Open with what people noticed, not what they concluded. Asking for a verdict first hardens opinions before anyone has heard each other.
- Let the disagreement run. The questions below that split a room are the ones worth the time; the ones everyone answers the same way can be skipped.
- Ask the quiet person a specific question. A direct, narrow question is far easier to answer than an open invitation to contribute.
Themes worth steering toward
If the conversation stalls, these are the threads that usually restart it.
Common questions
What are good book club questions for What We Owe the Future?
Here are 12 book club questions for What We Owe the Future by William MacAskill, ordered to open easily and end somewhere worth arguing about. The strongest openers ask what each reader noticed rather than what they concluded, and the discussion usually turns on longtermism, moral philosophy, existential risk.
How long should a book club discussion of What We Owe the Future last?
Most groups run 60 to 90 minutes of actual discussion. That is roughly six to eight questions, not all of them, so pick the ones that suit your group rather than working down the list in order.
What are the main themes in What We Owe the Future?
Longtermism, Moral philosophy, Existential risk, Future generations, Population ethics. Those are the threads most likely to divide a room, which makes them the useful places to steer a discussion that has gone quiet.
Picking the next one? See books like What We Owe the Future or questions for other book club picks.
