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The Good Ancestor

How to Think Long Term in a Short Term World

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The Good Ancestor

By: Roman Krznaric
Narrated by: Joe Jameson
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

'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.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2020 Roman Krznaric (P)2020 Penguin Audio
Economic History Future Studies Personal Success Politics & Government

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Must read for all future thinkers who care

Easy to dip into and come back to as desired. Get into it when you can.

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The Perspective we desperately need

Loved it. Well researched, interesting and dynamic take on the changes we need to adopt before we'll have a chance of adopting true change.

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How to be the change you want to see

Mandatory reading for anyone infuriated by the myopia of modern populist governments, and wanting to know how to enact real personal, political and community change

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Superb!

Most insightful and a critical piece for our time.

A must read for anyone looking to resolve arguments with culture warrior friends and relatives.

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Necessary reading


I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found it very thought provoking and insightful.

I quite liked the narrator.

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to be a good ancestor

loved it..powerful and challenging..a wake up call to all of us to be good ancestors

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A Call to Action

It has been a few months since reading 'The Good Ancestor'. How glad I am to have waited to write this, as I feel it makes my feelings about this book all the more richer.

Krznaric thesis is essential the following: we need to be more future oriented.

Although everyone intuitively understands this and agrees with this (perhaps why this book hasn't become a multi-million best-seller), Krznaric makes a compelling case for not only holding this position, but making it the guiding force of our lives. We shouldn't only aim to be the good Samaritan (although this is a respectable position in it of itself), rather we should aim to transcend and go beyond ourselves and be good ancestors for the generations that will come after us.

Although I forget most things I read, this is an idea I will take to my grave. I hope it is one you will read and take up too.

Regards

A Time Rebel

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