Season's Savings | ₹5/mo for 3 months

₹199/month after first 3 months. Renews automatically. Terms apply.
On the Future cover art

On the Future

Prospects for Humanity

 Preview
Get this deal Free with 30-day trial
Offer ends on 28 December, 2026.
Prime logo
Only ₹5/month for first 3 months.
Get 1 credit per month to use on any title of your choice.
Listen to anything from the Plus Catalogue—thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and Audible Originals.
₹199/month after first 3 months. Cancel anytime. Renews automatically. Offer ends 28 December, 2026.
1 credit a month to use on any title to download and keep
Listen to anything from the Plus Catalogue—thousands of Audible Originals, podcasts and audiobooks
Download titles to your library and listen offline
₹199.00 per month after 30-day trial. Cancel anytime.

On the Future

Written by: Martin Rees
Narrated by: Martin Rees, Samuel West
Free with 30-day trial Free with 30-day trial

₹199.00 per month after 30-day trial. Cancel anytime.

₹199.00 per month after 30-day trial. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for ₹562.51

Buy Now for ₹562.51

About this listen

This audiobook narrated by Martin Rees and Samuel West offers a provocative and inspiring look at the future of humanity and science
Humanity has reached a critical moment. Our world is unsettled and rapidly changing, and we face existential risks over the next century. Various outcomes—good and bad—are possible. Yet our approach to the future is characterized by short-term thinking, polarizing debates, alarmist rhetoric, and pessimism. In this short, exhilarating book, renowned scientist and bestselling author Martin Rees argues that humanity's prospects depend on our taking a very different approach to planning for tomorrow.
The future of humanity is bound to the future of science and hinges on how successfully we harness technological advances to address our challenges. If we are to use science to solve our problems while avoiding its dystopian risks, we must think rationally, globally, collectively, and optimistically about the long term. Advances in biotechnology, cybertechnology, robotics, and artificial intelligence—if pursued and applied wisely—could empower us to boost the developing and developed world and overcome the threats humanity faces on Earth, from climate change to nuclear war. At the same time, further advances in space science will allow humans to explore the solar system and beyond with robots and AI. But there is no "Plan B" for Earth—no viable alternative within reach if we do not care for our home planet.
Rich with fascinating insights into cutting-edge science and technology, this accessible book will captivate anyone who wants to understand the critical issues that will define the future of humanity on Earth and beyond.

©2021 Princeton University Press (P)2021 Princeton University Press Astronomy & Space Science Biological Sciences Computer Science Physics Science
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

Critic Reviews

"Rees shows us an optimistic yet realistic way of contemplating what is to come, as long as we broaden our thinking and realise that we're all on this crowded planet together."---Sandra Kropa, BBC Sky at Night Magazine (Sandra Kropa)
"With the authority that only someone of his calibre could command, Martin Rees presents his vision of the future of mankind."
"If you're worried about the prospects of the human race, try Martin Rees's On the Future for a sober, level-headed assessment."---John Naughton, Observer (John Naughton)
"A really important book."---David Runciman, Talking Politics podcast (David Runciman)
"One of the Financial Times' Best Books of 2018: Science"
"Rees is hardly the first to issue a stern warning about what lies ahead if complacency and consumerism rule, but his lucid, well-reasoned explanation of the stakes and inimitable prose lift this manifesto above the rest. An impassioned call to action from one of the world's foremost scientists. A book to be read by anyone on Earth who cares about its future."
"It would be easy for a book about the future to turn gloomy, but this one balances concerns with hopeful prospects."
"[A] condensed masterpiece of analysis and observation."---Jonathan Power, New York Journal of Books (Jonathan Power)
"UK astronomer royal Martin Rees faces the future as scientist, citizen and 'worried member of the human species'. His bold, beautifully synthesized primer paces from human-driven challenges such as climate change to dizzying astronomical discoveries within and beyond the Solar System. . . A clarion call for global, rational, long-term thinking."---Barb Kiser, Nature (Barb Kiser)
"Overall, this is a wise and humane overview of the challenges we all face, with much practical guidance about how best to tackle these in terms of responsible scientific and technological innocation related to deeper human values."---David Lorimer, Paradigm Explorer (David Lorimer)
"Lord Rees is the source on all things future-of-humanity."
"Fortunately for Rees, the symptoms of his anxiety appear to be an exceptionally clear head and a capable grasp of the big picture. His sense of cosmic wonder shines through brilliantly in the book's later chapters. Explanations of complex subjects like the Large Hadron Collider and the ongoing search for exoplanets benefit from his crisp, precise prose. . . . Rees is a seasoned science communicator, and in so far as his job is to get more and more people interested in the field, the book's short length and approachable style is a shrewd move that will open a wormhole to the big questions for the curious."---Louie Conway, Vanity Fair (Louie Conway)
"[Hawking and Rees] offer brisk, lucid peeks into the future of science and of humanity. They evince a profound faith in science's power to demystify nature and bend it to our ends."---John Horgan, Wall Street Journal (John Horgan)
All stars
Most relevant
Would have liked more peripheral content from the author in the audiobook version. Sound quality could be better.

Thought provoking and real.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.