A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE END OF THE F@CKING WORLD by Tom Phillips (...

A Brief History of the End of the F@cking World by Tom Phillips (ePub) (Nonfiction)
Author: Tom Phillips
First Published: February 2025
Category/Genre: Nonfiction, History, Social Commentary, Humor

A Brief History of the End of the F@cking World is a witty, sharply researched exploration of humanity’s enduring obsession with the apocalypse. Tom Phillips, known for his bestselling Humans: A Brief History of How We Fcked It All Up*, turns his eye to the many ways people have predicted, feared, and sometimes even longed for the end of days—from ancient prophets to modern doomsayers.

Phillips traces the origins of apocalyptic thinking from the Persian prophet Zoroaster—who first imagined history as an arrow with a final destination—through the Book of Revelation, medieval cults, and modern conspiracy theories. He shows how predictions of the world’s end have been a constant throughout history, with an “absolutely 100 per cent failure rate.” Yet, these narratives persist, inspiring fear, hope, and sometimes violence, as seen in events from the Münster Rebellion to the Taiping Rebellion, and even in the rhetoric of modern political leaders and tech billionaires