Roman Krznaric: How to Be a Good Ancestor

We are now with 7.7 billion people on earth. Many billions more will be born after us. Who are we to ignore them? On Thursday the 22nd of April the famous philosopher and great storyteller Roman Krznaric, will join us online to help us become better ancestors!

We live 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. 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 this event and in his book The Good Ancestor, leading public philosopher Roman Krznaric argues that there is still hope. From the pyramids to public health systems, 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 event will start with a lecture in which Roman Krznaric will reveal how we can expand our imaginations far beyond the here and now. Exploring everything from the seventh-generation thinking of indigenous peoples and politically empowered ‘guardians of the future’ to the history of the London sewers and the latest neuroscience research. In addition, he will give you practical tools you can use in your own life and he will take time to address the questions that are raised in the Q&A. Together we will explore how we can reawaken oft-neglected but uniquely human talents that expand our time horizons and sharpen our foresight!

About Roman Krznaric

Roman Krznaric is a public philosopher who writes about the power of ideas to change society. His latest book is The Good Ancestor: How to Think Long Term in a Short Term World. His previous international bestsellers, including The Wonderbox, Empathy and Carpe Diem Regained, have been published in more than 20 languages.

After growing up in Sydney and Hong Kong, Roman studied at the universities of Oxford, London and Essex, where he gained his PhD in political sociology. He has been a founding faculty member of The School of Life and is founder of the world’s first Empathy Museum. He is currently a Research Fellow of the Long Now Foundation.

Roman has been named by The Observer as one of Britain’s leading popular philosophers. His writings have been widely influential amongst political and ecological campaigners, education reformers, social entrepreneurs and designers. An acclaimed public speaker, his talks and workshops have taken him from a London prison to the TED global stage.

And if you are wondering how you pronounce his name: Krznaric is pronounced kriz-NAR-ik (click link for audio)!

The moderator: Moulsari Jain

Moulsari Jain will be the host and moderator of this online event. Moulsari is a member of faculty of The School of Life Amsterdam. She is also an artist, designer and creative entrepreneur. Applying art, language, culture, psychology and philosophy, she trains and inspires people and businesses to develop their long-term vision and strategy, with courage, creativity and a commitment to social impact. Influenced by her multicultural diplomatic upbringing and education, she has a unique approach to guiding people and ideas towards unseen opportunities.