Jesus College Perspectives: long-term thinking with Roman Krznaric

At the first Jesus College Perspectives: Long-term Thinking event on Tuesday 29th June 2021, public philosopher and author of The Good Ancestor Roman Krznaric joined us to talk about how humankind can extend its time horizons from seconds and minutes to decades and far beyond.

We live in the age of the “tyranny of the now”, Roman argued, 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, he stated. But what is it, has it ever worked, and can we even do it?

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 Empathy, The Wonderbox, 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 is founder of the world’s first Empathy Museum and is currently a Research Fellow of the Long Now Foundation.

Roman has been named by The Observer as one of the 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.

Roman has previously been an academic, a gardener, and has worked on human rights issues in Guatemala. He is also a fanatical player of the medieval sport ‘real tennis’ and has a passion for making furniture.