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LUKE KEMP is a research affiliate at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk at the University of Cambridge. He has lectured in the fields of economics and human geography, and has advised the World Health Organization, the Australian Parliament, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, and many other institutions. His research has been covered by media outlets such as The New York Times, the BBC, and The New Yorker.
“Citing Hobbes’s Delusion, Goliath’s Curse, and cobalt miners in the Congo, renowned existential risk specialist Luke Kemp looks both back into history and forward into the future, spelling out the dangers that we currently face and suggesting ways in which we might avoid the pitfalls leading to collapse, before our luck runs out. This is a brilliant and insightful book, guaranteed to keep you thinking during the day and wide awake with worry during the night.” —Eric Cline, author of 1177 B.C. and After 1177 B.C. ""A deeply sobering and strangely inspiring history of how societies collapse—and how we can still save ours. Read it now, or your descendants will find it in the ruins."" —Johann Hari, author of Stolen Focus ""Anyone who doubts the importance of this conversation hasn't been paying attention—the spectacle of the world's richest man seizing chaotic control of the world's most powerful nation underscores the author's points about the corrosive effects of grotesque inequity. It's clearly past time that we figured out how to build down the scale of our societies, in interesting but urgent ways."" —Bill McKibben, author of Here Comes The Sun “A profound and mind-expanding book that challenges the existing narratives of societal collapse. Through a long-term lens, Kemp asks us to reconsider histories we thought we knew, a present we take for granted, and future perils we have yet to meet. This is a chillingly enlightening read that will reorient your understanding of the world and how it came to be.” —Richard Fisher, author of The Long View and senior editor at Aeon “This is the book on societal collapse that I had always hoped someone would write. It was worth the wait!” —Walter Scheidel, author of The Great Leveler ""A great book. The history and plausible futures of collapse are set forth with incredible clarity and rigour. The worst outcome is—we hope—probably preventable if we are perceptive enough as a species, and plan enough to persevere against the stupidity and arrogance of the plutocrats in our midst."" —Danny Dorling, author of The Next Crisis ""Kemp shows that inequality breeds instability and true resilience lies in the democratisation of power. Important reading for anyone committed to a future beyond empire."" —Jason Hickel, author of Less Is More ""In this wide-ranging book Luke Kemp presents a fascinating multi-millenial panorama of how societies have emerged, flourished, but eventually collapsed. He then addresses the lessons this historical record offers for safeguarding humanity’s future, in an era when unprecedented global connectedness and technological advance could engulf our entire civilisation in a terminal catastrophe."" —Martin J. Rees, Astronomer Royal and author of Our Final Hour
