Books

Books : reviews

Roman Krznaric.
The Good Ancestor: how to think long term in a short-term world.
Penguin. 2020

We live in an age dominated by the tyranny of short-term thinking. But in 50 years, in 100 years, in 500 years, there will still be human beings living, working, loving and dreaming across the continents of our planet. Each of them will be profoundly influenced by how we act today. The biggest question each of us face is: how can we become good ancestors?

Roman Krznaric has the answer. From the pyramids to the NHS, humankind has always had the innate ability to imagine beyond the horizon, to plan for posterity and take action that will resonate for decades, centuries, even millennia to come — yet many of us have fallen out of practice. If we want to become good ancestors, now is the time to recover and enrich this unique skill.

Inspired by radical solutions from around the world, The Good Ancestor reveals six profound ways in which we can all learn to think long term today to create a better tomorrow.