The Good Ancestor

Krznaric, Roman

£10.99

The greatest challenge facing humankind is not climate change, or extreme inequality, or terrorism; it is our inability to think long term. We are living in the age of now. Businesses can barely see beyond the next quarterly report nor politicians beyond the next election. Markets spike then crash in speculative bubbles. In this right here, right now society, we rarely stop to consider if we’re being good ancestors. But the future depends on it. Here, leading public philosopher and bestselling author Roman Krznaric explains how we lost sight of the future, and introduces the seven simple, practical ways that we can change our thinking today to give our children, and our planet, a chance at a better tomorrow.

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Publish Date: 11/02/2021

Description

‘This is the book our children’s children will thank us for reading’ The Edge, U2

How can we be good ancestors?

From the first seeds sown thousands of years ago, to the construction of the cities we still inhabit, to the scientific discoveries that have ensured our survival, we are the inheritors of countless gifts from the past. Today, in an age driven by the tyranny of the now, with 24/7 news, the latest tweet, and the buy-now button commanding our attention, we rarely stop to consider how our actions will affect future generations. With such frenetic short-termism at the root of contemporary crises, the call for long-term thinking grows every day – but what is it, has it ever worked, and can we even do it?

In The Good Ancestor, leading public philosopher Roman Krznaric argues that there is still hope. From the pyramids to the NHS, humankind has always had the innate ability to plan for posterity and take action that will resonate for decades, centuries, even millennia to come. If we want to become good ancestors, now is the time to recover and enrich this imaginative skill.

The Good Ancestor reveals six profound ways in which we can all learn to think long-term, exploring how we can reawaken oft-neglected but uniquely human talents like ‘cathedral thinking’ that expand our time horizons and sharpen our foresight. Drawing on radical solutions from around the world, Krznaric celebrates the innovators who are reinventing democracy, culture and economics so that we all have the chance to become good ancestors and create a better tomorrow.

Additional information

Weight 229 g
Dimensions 198 × 126 × 20 mm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Paperback

Pages

288

Language

English

Edition
Dewey

361 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K