The year just started, but we’re still in a lockdown situation because of Covid-19. Behind this seeming tranquillity, there is a storm raging through our values and structures. It gives us the space to think about a complete ‘reset’ of the dysfunctional systems in our society. In this series, we showcase the perspectives of a variety of thought leaders who will reflect on our present-day situation. Through the lens of their own area of expertise and with an emphasis on the power of design and imagination. The corona crisis is, without a doubt, a crisis that is leaving behind a trail of victims. But which transformations will we be left within the aftermath? In times as these, it is the creatives, philosophers, scientists, makers, and designers who can visualize new scenarios, and develop new insights for our future.
Roman Krznaric
Roman Krznaric is a public philosopher who writes about the power of ideas to change society. His latest book, The Good Ancestor: How to Think Long Term in a Short Term World, has been described by U2’s The Edge as ‘the book our children’s children will thank us for reading’. The Dutch translation ‘De Goede Voorouder’ will be published in January 2021.
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 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 worked on human rights issues in Guatemala. He is also a fanatical player of the medieval sport of ‘real tennis’ and has a passion for making furniture.
Daan Roovers
Since March 29, 2019, Daan Roover is ‘Denker des Vaderlands’ (Thinker Laureate) for two years. During these two years, she wants to focus on public thinking: “How can we move forward together? After all, politics is about us, and we have to make the questions we ask part of our daily lives again.” Together with Marc van Dijk, she wrote a book ‘Wij zijn de politiek‘ (2019) about this.
As a philosopher Daan develops ways to make people think. Investing in individual and collective thinking is her main motivation, and at the moment it is more urgent than ever. She is inspired by the ideas from philosophy to better understand the world of today, our place in it and our personal life. She does this as a teacher (University of Amsterdam), as a program maker, as a speaker, as a trainer and as a writer.
Het kortetermijndenken voert de mensheid naar de afgrond en de generaties na ons zijn de dupe van onze kortzichtigheid. We moeten leren goede voorouders te zijn.
Toekomstige generaties zouden een stem moeten krijgen bij de politieke beslissingen van nu, bepleit politicoloog Roman Krznaric in zijn alarmerende boek De goede voorouder. Hoe ziet hij dat voor zich?
Misschien bevinden we ons op dit moment wel aan het begin van een langdurige, regeneratieve revolutie, stelt politiek wetenschapper Roman Krznaric. In The Good Ancestor werpt hij een blik op de toekomst en vraagt hij zich af wat het betekent een goede voorouder te zijn. ‘Ook al voelt het niet zo als je er middenin staat. Ik denk dat fundamentele verandering er zo uitziet. Verwarrend en soms tegenstrijdig, maar wel reëel.’
Our descendants own the future, but the decisions and actions we make now will tremendously impact generations to come, says philosopher Roman Krznaric. From a global campaign to grant legal personhood to nature to a groundbreaking lawsuit by a coalition of young activists, Krznaric shares examples of ways we can become good ancestors -- or, as he calls them, "Time Rebels" -- and join a movement redefining lifespans, pursuing intergenerational justice and practicing deep love for the planet.
Hoe kan de filosofie helpen om grip te krijgen op de grote vragen van deze tijd? Vrij Nederland raadpleegt Denker des Vaderlands Daan Roovers. In deze aflevering: hoe we in dit coronajaar weer de omslag kunnen maken naar langetermijndenken.
