Avoiding the Worst

November 3, 2022

Avoiding the Worst

Full text with footnotes and figures: <a href="https://bit.ly/ATW_pdf" rel="noopener">https://bit.ly/ATW_pdf</a><br />Amazon: <a href="https://bit.ly/amazon_atw" rel="noopener">https://bit.ly/amazon_atw</a><br /><br /><br />How can we avoid worst-case scenarios?<br /><br />From Nineteen Eighty-Four to Black Mirror, we are all familiar with the tropes of dystopian science fiction. But what if worst-case scenarios could actually become reality? And what if we could do something now to put the world on a better path?<br /><br />In Avoiding the Worst, Tobias Baumann lays out the concept of risks of future suffering (s-risks). With a focus on s-risks that are both realistic and avoidable, he argues that we have strong reasons to consider their reduction a top priority. Finally, he turns to the question of what we can do to help steer the world away from s-risks and towards a brighter future.<br /><br /><br />“One of the most important, original, and disturbing books I have read. Tobias Baumann provides a comprehensive introduction to the field of s-risk reduction. Most importantly, he outlines sensible steps towards preventing future atrocities. Highly recommended.”<br />— David Pearce, author of The Hedonistic Imperative and Can Biotechnology Abolish Suffering?<br /><br />“This book is a groundbreaking contribution on a topic that has been severely neglected to date. Tobias Baumann presents a powerful case for averting worst-case scenarios that could involve vast amounts of suffering. A much needed read for our time.”<br />— Oscar Horta, co-founder of Animal Ethics and author of Making a Stand for Animals