Roman Krznaric
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Roman Krznaric is an Australian-born social philosopher, whose books focus on the power of ideas to create change. His international bestsellers, including ''The Good Ancestor'' and ''Empathy'', have been published in more than 25 languages. He is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing at Linacre College,
University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
and the founder of the world's first Empathy Museum. His latest book, ''History for Tomorrow: Inspiration from the Past for the Future of Humanity'', explores what we can learn from the last 1000 years of global history to tackle urgent issues ranging from the climate crisis to the risks of artificial intelligence. Krznaric is also a Research Fellow of the
Long Now Foundation The Long Now Foundation, established in 1996, is an American non-profit organization based in San Francisco that seeks to start and promote a long-term cultural institution. It aims to provide a counterpoint to what it views as today's "faster ...
and member of the
Club of Rome The Club of Rome is a nonprofit, informal organization of intellectuals and business leaders whose goal is a critical discussion of pressing list of global issues, global issues. The Club of Rome was founded in 1968 at Accademia dei Lincei in R ...
. Particularly known for his interdisciplinary work on empathy and long-term thinking, his writings have been widely influential amongst political and ecological campaigners, education reformers, social entrepreneurs and designers. He was named by ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
'' as one of Britain's leading popular philosophers.


Education and early career

Krznaric was born in Sydney, Australia, and attended secondary school in Hong Kong. After studying philosophy, politics and economics at Pembroke College, Oxford University, he completed a master's degree in Latin American politics at the Institute of Latin American Studies at the University of London, then a PhD in the Department of Government at the University of Essex. His doctoral thesis explored the political, social and economic thought of Guatemala's oligarchy. Krznaric did human rights work with indigenous refugees in Guatemala, then taught politics and sociology at Essex University, the University of Cambridge and City University, London. After leaving academia, he was project director at The Oxford Muse, a cultural organisation established by the historian Theodore Zeldin to create conversations across social divides. Krznaric and Zeldin co-edited two books, Guide to an Unknown City (2003) and Guide to an Unknown University (2006). In 2008, he was one of the founding faculty members of
The School of Life ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...
in London, where he designed and taught courses on work, politics and love until 2012. Since then he has dedicated himself full-time to writing.


Books


History for Tomorrow (2024)

In ''History for Tomorrow: Inspiration from the Past for the Future of Humanity'', Krznaric delves into the last 1000 years of world history and asks what inspiration it offers for tackling ten urgent problems facing humanity in the 21st century, including climate change, hyperconsumerism, inequality, democracy and risks from AI and genetic engineering. While his last book, ''The Good Ancestor'', explores humankind's relationship with the future, the new book looks at our relationship with the past. Rather than simply highlighting warnings from history, Krznaric searches for positive examples of what went right alongside cautionary tales of what went wrong. The book reveals how, time and again, societies have risen up, often against the odds, to tackle challenges and overcome crises. The science fiction author
Kim Stanley Robinson Kim Stanley Robinson (born March 23, 1952) is an American science fiction writer best known for his ''Mars'' trilogy. Many of his novels and stories have ecological, cultural, and political themes and feature scientists as heroes. Robinson has ...
has described the book as 'an amazing feat of synthesis and imagination'.


The Good Ancestor (2020)

Like his book ''Empathy'', Krznaric's The Good Ancestor: How to Think Long Term in a Short-Term World, takes a key contemporary idea – in this case long-term thinking – and unpacks its intellectual history, conceptual underpinnings and practical applications. Krznaric argues that humankind, especially in the wealthy countries of the Global North, has 'colonised the future', treating it as a place where we dump ecological degradation and technological risk. The book reveals six ways we can become better long-term thinkers to help tackle issues ranging from the climate crisis and the risks of artificial intelligence to planning for the next pandemic on the horizon and confronting racial injustice that gets passed on from generation to generation. The book has had widespread public impact, including being the basis for legal rulings on intergenerational rights and
climate justice Climate justice is a type of environmental justice that focuses on the unequal impacts of climate change on marginalized or otherwise vulnerable populations. Climate justice seeks to achieve an equitable distribution of both the burdens of clima ...
. Its core ideas have also been explored in Krznaric's TED talk, and in the documentary ''Time Rebels'', made for Dutch public television.


Carpe Diem Regained (2017)

In Carpe Diem Regained: The Vanishing Art of Seizing the Day, Krznaric reveals how the ancient ideal
carpe diem () is a Latin aphorism, usually translated "seize the day", taken from book 1 of the Roman poet Horace's work '' Odes'' (23 BC). Translation is the second-person singular present active imperative of '' carpō'' "pick or pluck" used by Ho ...
, originally popularised by the Roman poet
Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 BC – 27 November 8 BC), Suetonius, Life of Horace commonly known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). Th ...
, has been hijacked today by forces such as consumer culture, social media and the mindfulness industry. Krznaric has described the book as an attempt to rewrite existentialism for the twenty-first century. Krznaric emphasises how an apparently individualistic ideal such as seizing the day also has a collective potential to become a force for socio-political transformation, suggesting that tackling issues such as the global ecological crisis requires a ‘carpamus diem’ (‘let’s seize the day together’) mentality.


Empathy (2014)

Krznaric's book ''Empathy: Why It Matters and How to Get It'' (originally titled ''Empathy: A Handbook for Revolution''), takes the long-established psychological concept of empathy and reveals how it can be a force for social and political transformation, drawing on examples ranging from the rise of the movement against slavery and the slave trade in Britain in the late eighteenth century to contemporary grass-roots peace building projects in the Middle East. In the book, Krznaric draws a distinction between affective empathy (empathy as a shared emotional response) and cognitive empathy (empathy as the capacity to step into the shoes of others and understand their worldview), arguing that the latter has a particularly important role to play in social change. This theme was explored in his RSA Animate video, ''The Power of Outrospection''. The book inspired Krznaric's creation of the Empathy Museum, an international arts organisation, and the digital Empathy Library. Krznaric is widely recognised as one of the world's leading thinkers about empathy.


How to Find Fulfilling Work (2012)

Krznaric's book ''How to Find Fulfilling Work'' extols the virtues of being a “wide achiever” rather than a “high achiever,” arguing that becoming a generalist is a key skill for navigating today's uncertain and insecure workplace.


The Wonderbox (2011)

''The Wonderbox: Curious Histories of How to Live'' (published in the US as ''How Should We Live?'') explores what history can teach us about tackling the challenges of personal life: What can we learn about love from the Ancient Greeks? What might the Renaissance teach us about confronting death? How has our approach to work, time and consumerism transformed since the industrial revolution? The book was inspired by Goethe's dictum, 'He who cannot draw on three thousand years is living from hand to mouth'.


How Change Happens (2007)

In addition to academic articles on democratic governance and Latin American politics, Krznaric is the author of the Oxfam report How Change Happens: Interdisciplinary Perspectives for Human Development (2007) as well as reports on empathy and development issues for Friends of the Earth and the United Nations Development Programme.


The First Beautiful Game (2006)

He is also the author of ''The First Beautiful Game: Stories of Obsession in Real Tennis'', a book that uses a combination of oral history and personal memoir to explore the medieval sport of
real tennis Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original racquet sport from which the modern game of tennis (also called "lawn tennis") is derived. It is also known as court tennis in the United Sta ...
. Krznaric is one of the world's top amateur players of the sport.


Personal life

Krznaric is married to the British economist
Kate Raworth Kate Raworth (born 13 December 1970) is an English economist known for " doughnut economics", an economic model that balances between essential human needs and planetary boundaries. Raworth is senior associate at Oxford University’s Environment ...
, author of Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist. They have boy-girl twins and live in the UK. He is a top ranked amateur player of
real tennis Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original racquet sport from which the modern game of tennis (also called "lawn tennis") is derived. It is also known as court tennis in the United Sta ...
.


Bibliography

*''History for Tomorrow: Inspiration from the Past for the Future of Humanity'' (2024) *''What The Rich Don't Tell The Poor: Conversations with Guatemalan Oligarchs'' (2022) *''The Good Ancestor: How to Think Long Term in a Short Term World'' (2020) *''Carpe Diem Regained: The Vanishing Art of Seizing the Day'' (2017) *''Empathy: Why It Matters and How to Get It'' (2014) *''How to Find Fulfilling Work'' (2012) *'' The Wonderbox: Curious Histories of How to Live'' (2011) *''The First Beautiful Game: Stories of Obsession in Real Tennis'' (2006)


References


External links

* * * : How to Be a Good Ancestor – Roman Krznaric * {{DEFAULTSORT:Krznaric, Roman 21st-century Australian philosophers Living people Year of birth missing (living people)