In this important book, Santiago Zabala is issuing a warning himself--we must start approaching emergencies to come in ways that are different to what we've always done. In the introduction, he asks, "Why don't we listen to warnings?" (p 6) He makes it clear that predictions and warnings are not the same thing, explaining that predictions are statements about what will happen, no matter what humans do--future as a continuation of the present. On the other hand, warnings are statements about what is likely to happen unless steps are taken to prevent these events. Warnings offer us a chance to do things differently, thus changing the trajectory of the present. They "... strive to change the future by reinterpreting the past." (p 8) This does, of course, require us to look at things in new ways and be open to radical change. In my own experience, there is real resistance to doing this. Zabala puts it this way: "The problem is not only whether we accept the involvement that warnings expect from us, but also whether we are willing to confront them at all." (p 8) This gets at the crux of the matter for me because again, my experience with this kind of thing is that people are not willing to confront the issues and the realities that warnings ask us to face. It's an issue I've become extremely interested in, which is one reason why I was so eager to read this book. It was fascinating and has given me much to consider.

Zabala draws primarily on the work of four philosophers: Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger, Simone de Beauvoir, and Hannah Arendt, although he does include the work of other philosophers as well. Each of the four is relevant to a particular aspect of Zabala's message and the first four chapters of the book are devoted to explanations of this--one chapter per philosopher. From there, he goes on to flesh out his arguments about why people do not want to hear warnings, how they get sucked in my disinformation, how warnings are communicated, both effectively and not, and finally, the role of art in warnings. He does a fine job of explaining why he chose the artwork on the cover of the book, for example.

To give one concrete example, he points out that for years and years scientists have been warning that a pandemic would be coming--it was just a matter of when. Measures could have been put in place to deal with such an eventuality and people could have accepted the warning and been prepared themselves. Instead, everyone seemed surprised and responses were, in many cases, inadequate. There are so many other examples both in the book and that jump into my mind. The warnings are all around us, but it's our choice--do we pay attention or turn away? The future we get depends on our answer.

I should say that you do not have to have a background in philosophy to find this book very much worth your time and thought. I have none. The author does a fine job of explaining the work of these philosophers as it applies to his arguments in terms non-philosophers can understand.

This is a book for this moment and beyond. It's a book that made me think, taught me things, and was simply fascinating to read. I highly recommend it. It's the kind of book that, had I been reading a paper copy, would now be filled with thoughts, notes, and other markings. For me, that's the sign of an excellent work of nonfiction, which this most certainly is.