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

By Roman Krznaric

Book Overview

So said Jonas Salk, who developed the polio vaccine in 1953 but refused to patent it--forgoing profit so that more lives could be saved.

Salk's radical generosity to future generations should inspire us. But when leading philosopher Roman Krznaric examines society today, he sees just the opposite: Our short term, exploitative mindsets have "colonized the future." Businesses eschew civic responsibility for immediate gains, politicians throw their support behind whatever will win the next election, and we all struggle to focus our attention beyond the next alert from our phones. The result? An inexcusable chasm between the haves and have-nots--and mounting existential threats--have brought our species to the precipice of disaster.

Yet Krznaric sees reason to hope. Yes, the urgent struggle for intergenerational justice calls for hugely ambitious solutions, from rewiring our growth-at-all-costs economy to giving voters of future generations a voice in our democracies. But at the heart of all these changes is one we can enact within ourselves: We must trade shortsightedness for long-term thinking.

In The Good Ancestor, Krznaric reveals six practical ways we can retrain our brains to think of the long view, including 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 more "time rebels" like Greta Thunberg--to shift our allegiance from this generation to all humanity--in short, to save our planet and our future.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1615197303
• ISBN13: 9781615197309
• Release Date: November 2020
• Publisher: Experiment
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.06 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.7" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Think Beyond the Present Moment

The Good Ancestor is a profoundly moving and necessary book, one that invites us to slow down, look beyond our own lifetimes, and consider the true weight of our choices. Reading it forced me into deeper reflection about how today’s actions ripple outward, influencing not just our children, but generations we will never meet. As a culture, we’ve grown comfortable with short-term thinking. We chase quarterly results, yearly gains, and quick wins, often dismissing long-term consequences as “someone else’s problem.” This book challenges that mindset with clarity and compassion. It argues that our legacy is shaped not by what we achieve now, but by what we leave behind. If we continue living only for ourselves, we risk being remembered not with gratitude, but with grief, as a generation that consumed more than it cared for. The Good Ancestor is a powerful call to act differently while we still can.

Altruism in its finest form

Do you ever wonder if there's anything you can do to improve the future for your children, your nation, and the world in general? Learn how to distinguish between short term pleasure and long term thinking, taking into consideration Intergenerational Justice, a Legacy Mindset, and Long Term Pathways for Civilization aimed at Transcendent Goals. If any of this sounds vague word salad, you'll find that Krznaric delves into each in deep, rational detail, leaving one with an earnest sense of mission to their lives.