How Can The Lessons Of The Past Help Us Navigate The Turbulence Of The Present And Future?
Social philosopher Roman Krznaric explores why history isn’t just a record of what’s gone wrong — it’s also full of solutions, resilience and radical hope.
From Edo Japan’s circular economy to the peaceful coexistence of cultures in medieval Spain, he reveals why looking backward can actually help us move forward.
Why You Should Listen
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.
Krznaric is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing at Linacre College, University of Oxford 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 and member of the Club of Rome.
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 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 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.
Personal Life
Krznaric is married to the British economist Kate Raworth, author of Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist.
They have boy-girl twins and live in the UK.
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