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A review by hugh_williams
Do Humankind's Best Days Lie Ahead? by Alain de Botton, Matt Ridley, Steven Pinker, Malcolm Gladwell
3.0
I could very well have over thought the philosophical intrigue this book would have. Do humankind's best days lie ahead, is a meaty quest and one that cannot be adequately solved or even scratched at in an hour and a half televised debate turned in to a 59-page transcript.
Do not be mistaken, the ideas that are presented as part of this debate are incredibly interesting: is the relieving famine worth, through interconnectedness and risk pooling, worth the possibility of a catastrophic virus destroying the whole of humanity? However, without one question being tackled, this debate boils down to four old men sitting in a room, calling each other names, and not responding to the points others have made; answering questions with questions. And, whilst such is part of philosophy, I hoped for so much more from this.
Worth a read, but it will only pose more questions for the reader to think about.
Do not be mistaken, the ideas that are presented as part of this debate are incredibly interesting: is the relieving famine worth, through interconnectedness and risk pooling, worth the possibility of a catastrophic virus destroying the whole of humanity? However, without one question being tackled, this debate boils down to four old men sitting in a room, calling each other names, and not responding to the points others have made; answering questions with questions. And, whilst such is part of philosophy, I hoped for so much more from this.
Worth a read, but it will only pose more questions for the reader to think about.