Book Review: History for Tomorrow
Roman Krznaric. 2024. History for Tomorrow: Inspiration from the Past for the Future of Humanity. W H Allen. ISBN 9780753559635 Trade Paperback.
Annavajhula J C Bose, PhD
Department of Economics (Retd.), SRCC, DU
Suppose you are, like me, more often than not hating the past, fearing the present and having little faith in the likelihood of a good future for humanity, the author can rescue you from your persistent dismal stupour with ideas and insights that can be extracted out of history. He uses, and uses well the golden principle of “Looking Backwards to Find a Way Forwards”. He exudes the confidence that 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.
Economists cannot really help you out like that because they often say history is irrelevant. But that is a mistake, according to Petra Moser, Professor of Economics at the New York University School of Business. Similarly, Dr. Chris Colvin says that when economic history is very vital to the study of economics and the economy, it is a pity that it is usually thrown out of the mainstream curriculum.
Coming back to the author, who is a political scientist and public philosopher, what are the hopeful takeaways?
History gives us hope for transformative change, not ‘hopium’—mere hope without action. It also spurs us “to become one of the changemakers ourselves. Whether in our communities, or workplaces, or anywhere else where we may want to make a difference, we can look to the past as an array of possibilities. From joining a protest movement or setting up a cooperative enterprise to taking part in a citizens’ assembly, history reminds us that we are part of great traditions of active citizenship that stretch back far into the past.”
So, the author offers five reasons for radical hope—five jewels eternally glittering more and more in the darkness of the past, present and future—drawn from history explored in the book, which can inspire the transformative action we need to navigate an age of turbulence.
First, disruptive movements can change the system. “Time and again, human beings have risen up together in solidarity to demand change—from the rebellions of enslaved people in the Caribbean in the nineteenth century to movements against caste oppression in India and the women’s organisations that fought for equal rights in Britain and Finland. One of the secrets of success has been the role played by ‘radical flank’ movements, whose militant and sometimes illegal tactics have helped shift the terms of public debate and amplified existing crises to a point where those in power have felt compelled to respond. As humanity pursues a course of ecological self-determination, where the window for changing course becomes ever smaller, it would be reckless to rely on the low flame of gradualism. Instead, we need the fiery spark of collective disruption.”
Second, ‘we’ can prevail over ‘me’. “History bears out the deep evolutionary story that Homo Sapiens are not simply driven by individualistic goals but are social animals with an extraordinary capacity for cooperation, empathy and mutual aid. In the right conditions, ‘we’ prevails over ‘me’. The question that remains is not just whether we can maintain it in the face of pressures such as economic insecurity and increasing migration, but whether we can extend such solidarity to both future generations and the rest of the living world.”
Third, there are alternatives to capitalism. “Capitalism lies at the root of so many contemporary crises, from the fossil-fuelled industrialization and consumerism that is pushing our planet over the brink, to the finance-focused corporations propelling the AI and biotech revolutions with scant regard for the extreme risks. Yet we retain a disturbing failure to imagine any feasible alternative and instead retreat into a capitalism modified by adjectives, seeking to make it ‘conscious’, ‘sustainable’. ‘inclusive’ or ‘green’. History encourages us to consider the viable and vibrant alternatives. The economy of 18th century Japan was a regenerative economy founded on principles of radical circularity and sustainable resource use. The deep-rooted cooperative economy of Emilia-Romagna provides a model of distributed ownership that stands in contrast to shareholder capitalism, promoting social justice and intergenerational stewardship. The entrepreneurial state demonstrates the capacity of governments not just to provide essential public services, but to innovate in areas such as medical research and digital technology without dependence on commercial incentives.”
Fourth, humans are social innovators. “Civilisations are not simply driven by technological innovation; some of humanity’s greatest advances have been just as much in the realm of social innovation. Our forebears pioneered multiple ways of organizing to survive crises, tackle injustices and live peacefully together. They invented social movements. They discovered how communally to manage commo-pool resources such as woodlands and fisheries. They built cities in which to live and work and play. Their innovations included the public sphere—a space for open political discussion and fostering citizenship—as well as ideals such as the common good, which inspired actions like the campaign to eradicate polio. So let’s not simply look to technologies to save us, or to great leaders or powerful gods. Let us look to each other, to people’s ingenious ability to work together to solve problems, inspired by our collective values.”
Lastly, other futures are possible. Consider representative democracy, which is “systematically failing to deal not just with the ecological crisis, but with a multitude of other issues from growing inequality to far-right populism. While it may seem hard to envision a better alternative, history is rich with possibilities. We might turn for inspiration to the great communal democracies of the past—classical Athens, the city of Djenne-Djeno and the Rhaetian Free State in Switzerland—which offered their citizens a far more participatory form of politics than our occasional visits to the ballot box…We are in the midst of an historic political shift. It is clear that a movement for the rights and interests of future generations is beginning to emerge on a global scale, and is set to gain momentum over coming decades as the twin threats of ecological collapse and technological risk loom ever larger. The dream of a benign dictator is not the only option to deal with our long-term crises. Democracy has taken many forms and been reinvented many times, from the direct democracy of the Ancient Greeks to the rise of representative democracy in the 18th Century. The next democratic revolution – one that empowers future generations and decolonises the future – may well be on the political horizon.”
To conclude, this is a super positive book more than deserving to be our most vital tool for surviving and thriving in the turbulent decades ahead. It indeed “opens our minds and souls, helping us to see with new eyes and to believe in ourselves as a species, so we can meet our predicament with a belief that change really is possible.” I feel good and lucky to have come across Roman Krznaric, rather randomly on my google meanderings.
References
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4xyvbzfinY
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190318-can-we-reinvent-democracy-for-the-long-term
