We stand at a crossroads of accelerating change​ ​​​unlike anything ever seen in the history of life.​ ​​​It feels as if the future could tip either way.​ ​​Between utopia​ ​and apocalypse.​ ​​The risks we face are daunting.​ ​​But beneath the rampant pessimism for our future​ ​​is evidence that humanity​ ​​can not only survive the coming centuries​ but thrive deep into the future.​ ​​No one knows what comes next.​ But there are three broad paths​ ​​​our future could take.​ ​The first is​ ​​ ​​​ ​Collapse:​ ​​​A major catastrophe threatens the downfall of civilization and possibly even the extinction of the human race.​ ​​Second is​ ​Plateau:​ where mankind averts collapse,​ but hits an upper limit of progress and third is ​Transcendence:​ ​​where humanity reaches its full potential,​ ​multiplies into the trillions,​ ​​or transforms along the way into something entirely​​​​ ​unimaginable.​ ​​​Envisioning these futures​ will clarify the risks we face,​ ​and the promise we have,​ ​​as we enter an unpredictable new era,​ for planet Earth ​and ourselves.​ ​​​​​Mankind is no stranger to catastrophe.​ ​​Our ancestors have survived asteroid impacts,​ ice ages, ​supervolcano eruptions ​, and deadly plagues,​ each time bouncing back to new heights.​ ​​But our biggest threats​ ​​ ​​​ ​no longer come from the natural world...They come from ourselves.​ ​Since the dawn of nuclear weapons,​ ​the threats of self-destruction​ have come to dwarf all others.​