This book investigates the moral obligations current generations hold toward future people and how to balance those needs against contemporary interests. Tim Mulgan, a professor of philosophy, constructs a rule-consequentialist framework to address the ethics of reproduction and intergenerational justice. By synthesizing contemporary moral debates, he seeks to establish a coherent theory that remains practical and avoids excessive demands on the individual while accounting for the long-term impact of human actions.

Experts recognize this work as a significant contribution to the field of intergenerational ethics and normative theory. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which is intended for those familiar with contemporary philosophical discourse.