Lunch Discussion: What Do We Owe the Future?
September 21, 2022
12:30 pm - 1:15 pm
This event has passed
WCC; 4063 Room
It’s common to speak of duties to our children and grandchildren, but what might we owe to people living even further into the future? How might those duties shape our priorities today, given how vast the future could be?
Please join HLS Effective Altruism for a lunch discussion of William MacAskill’s recent guest essay in The New York Times, “The Case for Longtermism.” We’ll discuss MacAskill’s thesis that protecting the interests of future generations ought to be among our top priorities, potential objections and counterarguments, and possible implications for law students, lawyers, and policymakers.
Learn more
For a deeper dive into the issues we’ll be discussing, we recommend MacAskill’s recent book and interview with Ezra Klein about the same topic.
About us
HLS Effective Altruism is a community of law students interested in using evidence and careful reasoning to take actions to confront the world’s most pressing problems, including extreme poverty and existential risks from emerging technologies. Our events are open to all members of the Harvard community. Learn more and join our mailing list by visiting our website.
If you or an event participant require disability-related accommodations for any event at HLS, please contact Accessibility Services, at accessibility@law.harvard.edu or 617-495-8773, in advance of the event.