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The Good Ancestor

A Radical Prescription for Long-Term Thinking

by Roman Krznaric

Narrator Joe Jameson

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Length 7 hours 52 minutes

Language English

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Summary
About the author
About the narrator

A call to save ourselves and our planet by targeting the root of our inaction: extreme short-sightedness

“The most important question we must ask ourselves is: Are we being good ancestors?” So said Jonas Salk, who cured polio in 1953. Salk saved millions of lives, but he refused to patent his cure or make any money from it. His radical rethinking of what we owe future generations should be an inspiration to us all, but it has hardly taken hold: Businesses can barely see past the next quarter; politicians can’t see past the next election. Markets spike, then they crash in speculative bubbles. We rarely stop to consider whether we’re being good ancestors … but the future depends on it.

Here, leading public intellectual, philosopher, and bestselling author Roman Krznaric explains six practical ways we can retrain our brains to save our future—such as adopting Deep Time Humility (recognizing our lives as a cosmic eyeblink) and Cathedral Thinking (starting projects that will take more than one lifetime to complete). His aim is to inspire a “time rebellion”—to shift our allegiance from our generation only to all humanity, present and future.

Politics & Economy Science & Technology Philosophy Nonfiction Social Science Environment & Nature

Roman Krznaric is a public philosopher who writes about the power of ideas to change society. His books include Empathy, The Wonderbox, and Carpe Diem Regained, and have been published in more than twenty languages. He studied at the Universities of Oxford, London, and Essex, where he received his PhD. He is a founding faculty member of the School of Life and is based in the UK.

Joe Jameson is an experienced stage and screen actor and audiobook narrator. A graduate of the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, he has narrated nearly 150 audiobooks and has worked extensively at Shakespeare's Globe, the Royal Exchange, and the Soho Theatre, among others. He can also be seen in ITV's Grantchester.

Audiobook details

Author:
Roman Krznaric

Narrator:
Joe Jameson

ISBN:
9781799924128

Length:
7 hours 52 minutes

Language:
English

Publisher:
Blackstone Publishing

Publication date:
November 3, 2020

Edition:
Unabridged

Libro.fm rank:
#28,406 Overall

Genre rank:
#260 in Philosophy

Reviews

“Joe Jameson narrates this impressive work of humanistic philosophy with the seriousness, clarity, and style that it merits. His English accent and educated tone amplify the listening experience.”

“Full of revelations for everyone who cares about the legacy they leave.”

“The individualistic philosophies of the last century have put us on the road to social, political, and environmental collapse. The Good Ancestor suggests…a number of ways off that lethal road.”

“Deserves to be widely read—by policymakers, and indeed by all citizens who care.”

“One of those landmark books with the power to shift a mindset. One turns the pages feeling a growing compulsion for change.”

“For anyone who is interested in how we can get today’s society to leave the world better than they found it—this is your guide.”

“A superb intellectual history and razor-sharp analysis of contemporary politics.”

Provid[es] keys to create profound and lasting change.”

“A great antidote to the short-term thinking that comes easily to us all.”

“Thinking long-term…may very well be vital to our survival as a species. Lose yourself in these pages…and reimagine your relationship to time, to the future, to activism.”

“A triumph.”

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