Becoming a Good AncestorJourneys Towards a Deeper Sense of Time
Expand your thinking beyond the present and start living with future generations in mind. Explore powerful ideas like long-term thinking, intergenerational justice, and legacy—alongside practical tools to bring them into your everyday life, work, and activism.
taught by Roman Krznaric
Module 1Envisioning Your Legacy
In this opening module we begin exploring what it means to be a good ancestor. We look into the factors that drive the chronic short-termism that defines so much of contemporary culture and the impacts that the ‘tyranny of the now’ is having on our personal lives and planetary home.
Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2
Chapter 2: The Tyranny of The Now
Chapter 3
Chapter 3: Being A Good Ancestor
Chapter 4
Chapter 4: Legacy Mindset
Chapter 5
Chapter 5: Q&A on Envisioning Your Legacy
Module 2The Art of Mental Time Travel
The module starts with the distinction between our short-term ‘marshmallow brain’ and our longer-term ‘acorn brain’. We map out our personal time horizons and then delve into the topic of ‘deep time humility’ – how we can envision our own lives as just an eyeblink in the cosmic story.
Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Drivers of Short-Termism
Chapter 2
Chapter 2: The Acorn Brain
Chapter 3
Chapter 3: Deep Time Humility
Chapter 4
Chapter 4: Cathedral Thinking
Chapter 5
Chapter 5: Q&A on The Art of Mental Time Travel
Module 3Responsibility to Tomorrow’s World
How can we develop a sense of responsibility across the generations? That’s the question behind this third module, which begins with a deep dive into the concept of intergenerational justice from the perspectives of contemporary philosophy and indigenous wisdom.
Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Intergenerational Justice
Chapter 2
Chapter 2: Holistic Forecasting
Chapter 3
Chapter 3: Transcendent Goal
Chapter 4
Chapter 4: Q&A on Responsibility to Tomorrow's World
Module 4Creating a Time Rebellion
There is an emerging global movement of ‘time rebels’ dedicated to good ancestry. In this module we meet them, from writers and artists who are recalibrating our culture towards a longer now, to activists who are trying to create a deeper form of democracy.
Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Cultural Evolution
Chapter 2
Chapter 2: Redesigning Democracy
Chapter 3
Chapter 3: Ecological Civilisation
Chapter 4
Chapter 4: Q&A on Creating A Time Rebellion
Module 5Expanding Your Empathic Imagination
The capacity to step into the shoes of others and see the world from their perspective is at the heart of becoming a good ancestor. In this module we explore the habits of highly empathic people, drawing on Roman’s experiences as a leading thinker in this field and founder of the world’s first Empathy Muse...
Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Switch On Your Empathic Brain
Chapter 2
Chapter 2: Make The Imaginative Leap
Chapter 3
Chapter 3: Practice the Craft of Conversation
Chapter 4
Chapter 4: Seek Experiential Adventures
Chapter 5
Chapter 5: Expand your Cultural Vision
Chapter 6
Chapter 6: Inspire A Revolution
Chapter 7
Chapter 7: Q&A on Expanding your Empathic Imagination
Module 6Discovering Hope in History
Throughout we find inspiration in the profound Māori proverb, ‘I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on the past’. In this final module we cast our gaze backwards, finding hope in the actions of our ancestors who have overcome crises, tackled injustices and built cities and civilisations.
Chapter 1
Chapter 1: There Are Alternatives to Consumer Capitalism
Chapter 2
Chapter 2: "We" Can Prevail Over "Me"
Chapter 3
Chapter 3: Humans are Social Innovators
Chapter 4
Chapter 4: Disruptive Movements can Change the System
Chapter 5
Chapter 5: Q&A on Discovering Hope in History
Chapter 6
Chapter 6: Course Conclusions on Becoming A Good Ancestor
Live ConversationsLive conversation with Roman Krznaric
Meet your teacher and fellow students to ask questions, share resources, and network!
Q&A 1
Live Q&A with Roman Krznaric: September 23rd, 6PM BST
Q&A 2
Live Q&A with Roman Krznaric: October 20th, 6PM BST
What legacies should we leave to the generations to come?
How can we expand our imaginations to nurture a deeper sense of connection with people and planet across the landscapes of time? What inspiration can we find in indigenous cultures and philosophies for respecting our ancestors and being remembered well by the generations of tomorrow?
These are the kinds of questions that will be explored in this engaging, mind-expanding course, which centres around the fundamental and profound issue of how we can become good ancestors.
We stand at a pivot point in the human story that calls for longer-term thinking and intergenerational responsibility.
We live in an age dominated by the tyranny of the now – our politicians can barely see beyond the next election, businesses respond to the latest quarterly report and as individuals we are often busy scrolling on our phones and clicking the ‘buy now’ button. This is the time to develop a longer sense of ‘now’ to help tackle multiple challenges on the horizon, from the climate emergency to risks from AI and deeping inequalities.
The course revolves around ideas and practices developed by social philosopher Roman Krznaric in his internationally bestselling book The Good Ancestor: How to Think Long Term in a Short-Term World. Roman will explore six fundamental ways we can expand our time horizons, drawing on everything from indigenous wisdom on ‘seventh-generation’ decision-making and cyclical notions of time, to cutting-edge neuroscience on the human capacity to imagine beyond the here and now. Core concepts that will be covered include:
- Deep-Time Humility
- Legacy Mindset
- Intergenerational Justice
- Cathedral Thinking
- Holistic Forecasting
- Transcendent Goals
The course then looks at how these ideas can be implemented in our personal lives and also more broadly in cultural life, political organisation and to help construct the ecological civilisation we need. Along the way, Roman will additionally be delving into why developing our empathic imaginations is a fundamental element of being a good ancestor, and the importance of thinking historically into the deep past as well as into the deep future.
This is a course for anyone who cares about their legacy to the future, and who is looking for inspiration that a different and better world is possible. Join this course to take an imaginative journey of hope through time itself and into the heart of good ancestry.
- 6 modules of pre-recorded lessons
- Live conversations with the teacher
- Transcriptions
- Additional readings and resources
- Community discussion
- Tools to expand your long-term thinking beyond short-term habits and distractions.
- A clear framework for legacy-building, rooted in values, responsibility, and action.
- Practical methods for mental time travel to shift perspective from the present to the deep future.
- Strategies for intergenerational decision-making, inspired by indigenous wisdom and ethics.
- Insights into “cathedral thinking”—how to design projects that outlast your lifetime.
- Ways to apply empathy and imagination to strengthen your role as a future ancestor.
- A renewed sense of hope and agency to act meaningfully in a time of global crises.
