AFTER READING THE PRECIPICE: EXISTENTIAL RISK AND THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY by Toby Ord 9 Lessons I Learned About Global Catastrophes, Responsibility, and the Fragility of Civilization

AFTER READING THE PRECIPICE: EXISTENTIAL RISK AND THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY by Toby Ord 9 Lessons I Learned About Global Catastrophes, Responsibility, and the Fragility of Civilization In 1945, a single event split history into two distinct eras. Before that year, humanity had never possessed the means to end its own story. After it, we did. The mushroom cloud over Hiroshima was not just a symbol of war; it was the beginning of a new reality, one in which the tools of our own destruction rested in our hands. We had crossed an invisible threshold without quite realizing it. Toby Ord calls this new reality the Precipice—a narrow, treacherous ledge on the side of a cliff, with the vast possibilities of the future stretching out before us, and a sheer drop into oblivion at our feet. The image is both dramatic and precise. For the first time in human history, the continuation of our civilization is no longer a given. It is a choice. And that choice will be made, not in a single moment, but over decades—perhaps centuries—by billions of small and large decisions. It is tempting to think of catastrophe as a matter of fate or chance, like the roll of dice. A meteor hits the earth. Grab a copy of this book now!