The Good Ancestor

Book cover of The Good Ancestor: A Radical Prescription for Long-Term Thinking

Book 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…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked The Good Ancestor as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Richard Fisher

Author

The concept of the ‘good ancestor,’ originally coined by physician Jonas Salk, is the focus of Roman Krznaric’s excellent book about our relationship with future generations.

I’ve known Roman for a few years now: he spoke about long-term time on a panel I organised at the Hay Festival a few years ago, and he makes an appearance in my own book on a trip we both made to the House of Lords to watch a debate about future generation policy.

He is a crystal clear thinker and communicator, and I’ve learnt a lot from him. One of the most interesting…

From Richard's list on to take a longer view of time.

Adam Bulley

Author

The Good Ancestor is a rallying cry for considering the interests of future generations. The author, philosopher Roman Krznaric, brings a holistic, empathetic eye to our stewardship of the planet. The book is big on activism and creativity, full of fascinating references to mind-expanding art projects that re-frame our relationship with the future, explorations of transcendent goals for our species, and ideas about how to build more just, equitable relationships with each other and all those who will follow us.

From Adam's list on harnessing the power of human foresight.