The Andromeda Evolution (Andromeda #2)

by Daniel H. Wilson

human civilization that individuals are more motivated by immediate private reward than by long-term, collective future benefits. This effect is particularly evident when considering payoffs that will take longer than a generation to arrive—a phenomenon called intergenerational discounting.

we as a species are motivated to betray our own descendants. In my view, the only possible solution is the institution of harsh and immediate punishments for those who would be unfaithful to the future.

It has been subsequently theorized that our species’ seeming inability to focus on long-term existential threats will inexorably lead to the destruction of our environment, overpopulation, and resource exhaustion.

Sadly, all the evidence of world history supports this theory.

Alone and forced to act unilaterally, the People’s Republic of China inevitably set out to do just that.