What can we do now to ensure that future generations look back on us as good ancestors? We live in the age of the tyranny of the now, driven by 24/7 news, the latest tweet, and the buy-now button. With such frenetic short-termism at the root of contemporary crises – from the threats of climate change to the lack of planning for a global pandemic – the call for long-term thinking grows every day. But what is it, has it ever worked, and can we even do it?

Roman Krznaric, author of The Good Ancestor: How to Think Long Term in a Short Term World, delves into history and the human mind to show that we can. 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 be good ancestors and be remembered well by the generations who follow us, now is the time to recover and enrich this imaginative skill.

He talks about six profound ways in which we can all learn to think long-term, exploring uniquely human talents like ‘cathedral thinking’ that expand our time horizons and sharpen our foresight. Drawing on radical innovations from around the world, he celebrates the time rebels who are reinventing democracy, culture and economics so that we all have the chance to become good ancestors and create a better tomorrow.

The Good Ancestor: How to Think Long Term in a Short Term World is published by WH Allen. Buy a copy from our friends at Waterstones.

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Festival of Ideas: Roman Krznaric