Geschiedenis voor morgen: Inspiratie uit het verleden voor de toekoms

by Roman Krznaric

De ineenstorting van welvaartsstaten, supercyclonen, megadroogtes, extreemrechts extremisme, ongebreidelde virussen, energietekorten, de mensheid beweegt zich richting een tijdperk van permanente crisis. Hoe kunnen we ons een weg banen door dit alles?








Terwijl politici vastzitten in het nu, pleit Krznaric in Geschiedenis voor morgen voor een blik achterwaarts om de toekomst vorm te geven. Hij put hoopvolle lessen uit de geschiedenis om deze crises te overwinnen en onthult hoe het verleden niet alleen ons begrip van gisteren verdiept, maar ook onze relatie met de toekomst herdefinieert.








Over eerder





'Een van de meest prominente stemmen in de filosofische en politieke beweging die pleit voor meer langetermijndenken' – NRC Handelsblad





'Krznaric is een filosoof die grote ideeën wil laten landen bij een groot publiek, het liefst op een speelse manier' – De Groene Amsterdammer





'Wakkert je verbeelding aan' – Flow Magazine





'Roman Krznaric verzamelt prachtige ideeën. Zeer leesbaar en hoopgevend' – Trouw





'Hij haalt ons hoofd uit het zand en stelt een fundamenteel probleem vast' – De Morgen





'Roman Krznaric schreef een indrukwekkend boek over onze moderne crisissen' – Knack

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Politics, World History, Audiobook

420 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 4, 2024

About the author

Roman Krznaric is a social philosopher who writes about the power of ideas to create change. His latest book is the international bestseller The Good Ancestor: How to Think Long Term in a Short-Term World. His previous books, including Empathy, The Wonderbox, How to Find Fulfilling Work and Carpe Diem Regained, have been published in more than 25 languages. He is Senior Research Fellow at Oxford University’s Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing and founder of the world’s first Empathy Museum. His new book, History for Tomorrow: Inspiration from the Past for the Future of Humanity, is published in July 2024.

Reviews

[Pieter Serrien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hoogstwaarschijnlijk het non-fictieboek van 2024! Helemaal in de stijl van Blom en Harari, ideaal voer voor het betere geschiedenisonderwijs en maatschappelijke discussies. Lezen en samen erover praten!!

[Maher Razouk · Rating 5 out of 5]

عندما يتعلق الأمر بالحياة اليومية، فمن المدهش أن يظل الكثير منا مفتونين بالماضي. فملايين الناس يشاهدون الأفلام الوثائقية التاريخية بشغف، ويستمعون بشغف إلى المدونات الصوتية التاريخية، ويقرؤون السير الذاتية التاريخية، ويزورون المواقع الأثرية في العطلات، ويشرعون في رحلات لتتبع أصول عائلاتهم. تخيل لو كان بوسعنا توجيه بعض هذا الشغف بالماضي للمساعدة في معالجة المعضلات المتعددة التي تواجه البشرية على مدى العقود القادمة.
وهناك سبب وجيه للقيام بذلك. فقد زعمت سلالة متميزة من المفكرين التاريخيين الذين يعودون إلى ثوسيديدس وابن خلدون وتوماس هوبز أن دراسة الماضي يمكن أن تساعدنا بالتنقل في المستقبل - ما يُعرف أحيانًا باسم "التاريخ التطبيقي". والغرض منه ليس تمكيننا من التنبؤ بالمستقبل مثل نوستراداموس بل بالأحرى توسيع مجال الخيال لدينا. إن التاريخ قادر على تذكيرنا بكيفية مواجهتنا للأزمات في الماضي، وكشف طرق مختلفة لتنظيم المجتمع؛ ربما طواها النسيان منذ زمن بعيد، وكشف جذور الظلم الحالي وعلاقات القوة، وتقديم أدلة للبقاء والازدهار وإحداث التغيير. التاريخ مستشار وليس عرافاً. فهو يشجعنا على طرح أسئلة جديدة والاعتراف بأن مسارات أخرى قد تكون ممكنة. لقد أدرك جوته أهميته، حيث أعلن: "من لا يستطيع أن يستمد قوته من ثلاثة آلاف عام فهو يعيش على الكفاف".
.
Roman Krznaric
History For Tomorrow
Translated By #Maher_Razouk

[Ada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Formidable on so many levels. One of those levels being how exciting a story this is. It feels so plot driven. Which I suppose is exactly what Krznaric is trying to do: present us with events from the past that can be used as plot devices for humanity's future story. What an incredible thinker he is. Truly a philosopher rather than just a historian.

Also, having read both books soon after each other, History For Tomorrow has everything Peter Frankopan's The New Silk Roads lacks. Krznaric is so intentional about the arguments he's making and he makes them so well while Frankopan's book mostly is a dry summary of facts that barely seems to hold an explicit argument at all.

History For Tomorrow is a great read for anyone even remotely interested in thinking about the challenges of the near future. Every politician and citizen alike should read this book.

[Kristof Vande Velde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Krznaric does not have the linguistic finesse of Harari but this book is such an overwhelming overview of the current societal problems in the West with realistic solutions, inspired by the past, without being naive.
Should be compulsory reading for all policymakers and students today.

[Eva Van Lieshout · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books that I find difficult to judge. It’s a history-focused book, but it’s quite politically charged. His own viewpoints clearly shine through, and at times it feels a bit like cherry-picking. But it could also be my cognitive dissonance. As the book itself points out: the world one is born into feels like the norm, and it’s hard to imagine anything different.

Despite those doubts, I really enjoyed reading the book. It included many interesting stories from the past — and well, I love history. I learned a lot about the world once again. The parallels drawn with the present sometimes felt a bit random, because you never really know, but it was still interesting to reflect on a possible scenario. It really makes you think, and I believe that’s exactly the intention of this book.

[Christopher Whalen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in Roman Krznaric’s loose trilogy about time: Carpe Diem Regained (2017) is about seizing the day, living in the present; The Good Ancestor (2020) is about how we choose to live now will affect the future of humanity: a forward-looking, 7th-generation empathy; this book, History for Tomorrow, looks back to the past for lessons about how we can tackle and rethink the challenges of today.

My reading of this audiobook edition, narrated by the author, was prolonged because I was stuck in the present, listening to the BBC’s Newscast to keep up with the endless stream of news about the unending now and the new Labour government. I’ve now scratched that particular itch, having realized (again) that I’ll never be able to keep up.

It engages in dialogue with and echoes other books I’ve read recently (I love it when that happens!): Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States and Peter Frankopan’s The Earth Transformed - and both authors are cited. It’s also preoccupied with the ongoing threats of climate change, water scarcity, the cancer stage of capitalism, social media, inequality, and AI. It’s in the chapter on AI (“Keeping the Machines Under Control - Artificial Intelligence and the Rise of Capitalism”) that I found myself agitating slightly: I felt at times that Krznaric’s definition of AI was too broad, including recommendation algorithms and citing the overdone anecdote that Target knew a girl was pregnant before she did by sending her coupons for baby products. (I feel like I’ve read or heard a debunking of that story, but I can’t remember where it was: Malcolm Gladwell? The Reply All or Search Engine podcasts?) It rubs me up the wrong way in the same way that people used to throw around the phrase “Big Data”, which instead of clarifying the concept for me just makes it fuzzier. What’s probably going on is that my ignorance is being exposed and my neurological pathways are being rerouted, which probably means it’s finally time for me to read Michael Wooldridge’s The Road to Conscious Machines: The Story of AI to straighten things out (or cause more cognitive unsettlings). Don’t get me wrong: I think this is a good thing, and I welcome the feeling of unrest.

Having read most of the author’s other books (and known him as a colleague, friend, and client for 20 years), the tone and structure of this book is very familiar - not least because I could hear his voice reading it to me! He loves a surprising juxtaposition, a satisfying anecdote, a principled role model, a sighting of empathy in the world at large. His books are successful, (I think) widely read and discussed, easily digested and marketed - grown out of blog posts and lectures, in the same way that short films are sometimes the germ for feature films. Like writers such as Malcolm Gladwell, Tim Harford, and Cal Flyn, Roman Krznaric has definitely found his voice. If I was his literary agent, I’d probably encourage him to do more of the same. But there’s a part of me, a wicked sprite, that wants to challenge him to do something completely different with his next book: something riskier, more likely to fail, in a different voice. I don’t know what that is (fiction? investigative journalism? travel writing? biography? a play or film script? some new genre that hasn’t even been invented yet?); but maybe he does. Is there an abortive attempt lurking in the back of a drawer somewhere or an unfinished notebook? Not that you need it, Roman, but you have my permission to try something different.

[Marian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Virkelig interessant og svært aktuell bok! Kapitlenes titler taler for seg selv om hvilke aktuelle tema boka behandler, se under. Jeg er opptatt av at historien gir oss lærdom relevant for vår samtid - og at vi fortsetter å imøtegå eliteperspektivet på historie (skrevet av "seierherrene", som oftest hvite, rike menn). Vi trenger historie nedenfra, den som får frem betydningen av sosiale bevegelser. For ofte overdrives betydningen av statsmannskunst, mens effekten av opprør og folkelig engasjement tillegges for liten vekt.

Faren for økologisk kollaps, økt ulikhet, desinformasjon og redusert tillit, faren ved bioteknologi og kunstig intelligens, negativ nasjonalisme, krig og geopolitisk usikkerhet. Truslene er mange i vår tid. Men vi kan alle bidra til å gjøre radikalt håp en bedre fremtid om til handling. Historien viser oss mektige tradisjoner for aktivt borgerliv som kan skape store endringer.

1) Bryte avhengighten av fossil energi. Opprørsbevegelser og makten i ulydighet
2) Drive frem toleranse. Leve sammen i et islamsk kongedømme i middelalderen.
3) Bort med forbrukervanene. Det førindustrielle Japan og utviklingen av regenerative økonomier.
4) Temme sosiale medier. Trykkulturen og oppfinnelsen av kaffehusene.
5) Sikre vann til alle. Vannkrigene og allmenningens egenart.
6) Ny tro på demokratiet. Gjenoppdagelse av fortidens kollektive demokrati.
7) Håndtere den genetiske revolusjonen. Skyggen fra rasehygiene og jakten på vårt felles beste.
8) Bro over ulikhetskløften. Kamp for likhet i Kerala og Finland.
9) Kontroll på maskinene. Kunstig intelligens og kapitalismens fremvekst.
10) Unngå sivilisasjonens sammenbrudd. Hvordan nasjoner og imperier har klart seg gjennom krig og kriser.

[Ans Seriese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wat een boek! Hoe kan de geschiedenis ons helpen om al die crisissen van nu het hoofd te bieden. Altijd vrij minimaal historisch besef gehad maar dit is zeer inspirerend en leerzaam. Over vrouwenkiesrecht, slavenopstanden, El-Andalus, de oorsprong van de aandelenbeurzen (in Nederland natuurlijk, in 1609, winstbeluste kapitalisten), de commons, AI, sociale media, waterbeheer, te veel om op te noemen. En de noodzaak van radicale flanken om min of meer vreedzame veranderingen teweeg te brengen. Ontwrichting moet. Nog een keer lezen, en weer een leeslijstje erbij.

[Karin Mckercher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super interesting and a fantastic example about how we can learn from history even when faced with problems that are seemingly unique to the present day.

[Michael Layden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Books like this give me considerable comfort because they remind me that others are busily working on tackling the wicked problems we face.
It's soul destroying seeing discussion of the systemic challenges we face being reduced to discussion of bike lanes or recycling.
Anyone who really has been paying attention over the last few decades knows we face existential threats on multiple fronts.
The resources and planning that is needed to tackle the myriad of treats is beyond imagination.

This is a quiet book of reason which says we have tackled similar problems in the past. It is easy to forget that complexity has been a factor for centuries and that we can still learn from what has been done in the past.

[Luka · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book approaches 10 challenges facing the modern society (such as water scarcity, crisis of democracy, AI) and looks to examples from history to see how they might serve as lessons for the current problems. The examples are presented in an easily understandable but nuanced way and a pleasure to read.

I enjoyed this one! Looking forward to discussing it in my first Dutch language book club :).

[Maximilian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author takes modern problems and holds them up against historical parallels—covering a lot of ground in terms of ideas but mostly skimming the surface. One of the comparisons that stood out to me was how Big Oil’s resistance to climate action mirrors the way slave owners fought against abolition, framing an inevitable transition as something that must be slow to protect their interests. I also appreciated how he articulated shifting baseline syndrome—the way each generation unknowingly accepts the world they inherit as the norm (and in our case, adapts to rapid decline with little resistance)—which is something I’ve thought about before but hadn’t seen put into words.

There’s a lot to take in. The book touches on many relevant topics, from the shrinking of the public sphere under social media monopolies to the threat of AI and unmanned weapon systems, or the limitations of representative democracy. But none of these discussions are explored in much depth and it feels like more of a primer on a set of timely ideas. If you’re already familiar with these topics, there’s probably not much new here, but I did find the historical parallels interesting, and it makes for an easy read. If nothing else, it’s a good reminder that while history may not repeat, we somehow never seem to learn from it either.

[Anders Jaarvik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kastet meg over denne boka etter å ha opplevd den australskfødte forfatteren live på Kåkånomics. Den handler om hvordan historien kan hjelpe oss til å forstå nåtiden og vise vei for framtiden. Gjennom mange eksempler fra fortid og nåtid viser Krznaric at det finnes alternativer måter å løse vår tids store utfordringer på.

«Menneskeheten er nødt til å rette blikket bakover for å bevege seg fremover. Historien har kraft til å helbrede endringsblindheten og vise fortidens inspirerende muligheter – de ligger begravet som en tapt skatt.»

«Vi lever i en tid der det som skjer nå, dominerer fullstendig, og vi undervurderer til de grader den akkumulerte erfaringen fra fortiden som rettesnor for fremtiden.»

[Kelly Kroeger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book got me thinking! Though I don’t necessarily agree with all of the conclusions drawn by the author, his approach was appealing. Most of the book is historical case studies used to provide insight into current issues. The case studies were diverse and interesting. The writing was simple and easy to follow. Definitely meant for mass consumption rather than heavy analyzers, this was nevertheless insightful and fun!

[Tony Tone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew very little about this book or the author, Roman Krznstic when I started reading it but I’m so glad I read it because it’s an informative, uplifting and thought provoking look at historical examples from across the world. In short read this book.

[Alyssa Foll · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic read on looking to the past for inspiration on meeting the challenges of today. I also appreciated that you can hear themes from Krznaric's other work "The Good Ancestor" in this work as well. How might we learn from the past to care for future generations? A highly engaging read.

[Mees Felix · Rating 4 out of 5]

zeer interessant boek om te lezen, zeker als geschiedenis student

[Stephen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I came to this book through a book club. It provided the text for discussion, and so I felt obliged to read it. I found the book to be a polemic that works only if you share the political outlook of the author, which I happen not to do. From my perspective, it provided a biased account for a degree of grandstanding and virtue signalling. It could do with a decent edit and a good injection of balance. There was very little I agreed with in the book, so t did very little for me.

The notion that the study of the past is useful to explain the present and to inspire the future is a good one. However, the past isn't something that can be cherry picked, where the elements that support your argument are highlighted and the awkward facts are either overlooked or discounted. This is what the book provides. A selective recollection of the past, in some cases hammered out of shape, to support present interpretations of current events.

For example, the author makes much of the suffragette movement using civil disobedience to effect change. This is nonsense. It can, at best, be only partially true. A far greater contributor to women receiving the vote was the contribution of women to the war effort in the First World War. The inconvenient fact overlooked by the author is that the suffragettes only wanted the vote for rich women. They were content to let ordinary women go fish.

As another example, the author cites Islamic Spain as a beacon of racial and religious tolerance in the medieval world. This is only partially true. It was achieved by violent conquest and colonisation, and resulted in an early form of ethnic cleansing. Of course we can achieve tolerance if large sections of diversity are removed from a society.

The problem, as the author freely admits, is that he isn't an historian. He is, actually, a political scientist. One who uses the past in such a way to justify some of the idiocies of the present. I didn't like this book at all and would recommend that the reader just passes it by.

[Manuel Talhinhas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps because my mother was a history teacher, I’ve always been fascinated by how the past can help us understand the future. Taking a break from the fast pace of work, I stumbled upon “History for Tomorrow” by Roman Krznaric on the shelves of a bookshop in Oxford—a city that’s both home and alma mater to the author.
Ten captivating chapters reveal just how deeply the challenges we face today mirror those from the past. From the climate crisis and water scarcity to the rise of artificial intelligence, the evolution of social media, and the reinvention of democracy, Krznaric’s book offers vivid examples of how historical insight can help us steer clear of large-scale social collapse.
What struck me most is the author’s ability to find hope even when exploring humanity’s darkest moments. As Krznaric writes, our future can rest on five pillars of radical hope:
1. “Disruptive Movements Can Change the System”
2. “‘We’ Can Prevail over ‘Me’”
3. “There Are Alternatives to Capitalism”
4. “Humans Are Social Innovators”
5. “Other Futures Are Possible”
Throughout history, societies have repeatedly risen against the odds to meet challenges and overcome crises. From the Caribbean slave revolts to London’s Georgian coffee houses as templates for taming social media, from Edo-period Japan inspiring regenerative economies to lessons in tolerance from Islamic Al-Andalus.
Let me close with a reflection on Mark Twain’s famous phrase: “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” This idea resonates deeply with the core message of the book: even though our current challenges might feel unique, history provides patterns, insights, and above all, a radical hope to help us build a better future.
A must-read for anyone who believes we can use the lessons of the past to drive transformative change in the present.

[Janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's always a danger when non-historians trawl through the annals of history, looking for parallels with contemporary and future events. However, unlike some other commentators, Krznaric admits that he is not a historian, and he acknowledges that he is very much standing on the shoulders of historians while surveying present-day society. His book has footnotes, references and an index, and he includes in his footnotes references that make a different argument to the one that he is making.
He draws on examples across a broad sweep of centuries and continents to examine 10 challenges that face the world today including fossil fuel addiction, over-consumption, tolerance, social media, inequality and the genetic and AI revolutions (and others) and his choice of crisis reflects his political stance. He strikes an ultimately optimistic tone which I'm being hard pressed to support, I must admit.
For my complete review, please visit:
https://residentjudge.com/2025/04/23/...

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic read linking historical movements and events to the critical challenges facing humanity today.

Highlights include:
- How slave rebellions and suffragettes show the need for a radical flank to accelerate the 'glacial' transition away from fossil fuels
- How Moorish Spain modelled a tolerant multicultural society
- How pre-industrial Japan epitomised the circular economy
- How the printing press and coffeehouses functioned as the original social networks and promoted genuine sharing of ideas
- How a centuries-old Valencian tradition shows how communities can manage commons for equitable access to resources
- The key ingredients for averting civilisational breakown (collective solidarity, care for nature, and a crisis to kickstart action)

Ultimately, this book provides hope that thanks to our social innovation, it is possible to disrupt the capitalist systems that have got us into this mess and create a better world.

[Alok Mehta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Initially I thought this would be a history heavy book but as I progressed, I realised that the author knows his subject well. His leftist bias was evident but I think it was neither extremist nor unfounded. compliments to him for holding his ground with the content he excavated from history. And it grew better as I progressed with culmination in the chapter on civilizational collapse which was a definite high. Personally for someone uninitiated like me, the ideas of communal democracy over electoral democracy, distributed capitalism, the concepts of Asabhya, Biophilia and disruption nexus in the form of Crisis-Idea-Movement was revealing and refreshing. If Mr Roman Krznaric aimed to paint a possible future through the lens of history, he far succeeds in his mission. He should be read more widely.

[CJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book which uses historical examples to shed light on potential solutions to a number of societal challenges that we face today.

I came to this audiobook because of the chapter on Edo (rhymes with meadow, not speedo, Dr Krznaric) and the circular economy but found the ones on tolerance, AI, social media and eugenics to be insightful too. The book underlines the important role that historical knowledge can play in contextualizing contemporary issues. This is refreshing when many universities are deemphasizing and defunding the humanities.

Some of the examples given are stronger than others and it’s quite selective, but as the author acknowledges, “cherries are for picking”!

[Richard Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The idea of this book is that there are always to be found in history stories that can help us in facing our many current predicaments--of climate change, collapsing democracy, toxic social media, etc. Krznaric picks excellent stories and tells them well, mostly linking them convncingly to current predicaments.

I've extracted two blogs from the book and am working on a third:

https://richardswsmith.wordpress.com/...

https://richardswsmith.wordpress.com/...

[Jon Norimann · Rating 5 out of 5]

History For Tomorrow makes in total 10 comparisons between a current issue and a historical one. Krznaric starts off superbly in this book. The first 4-5 comaprisons are excellent. They are worthy of a place in any high schools curriculum in either history or political science. Unfortunately Krznaric struggles more to make relevant compariusons for the final 4-5 issues. Although he openly admits this himself here and there in the book, the lacking relevancy of the final half remains a flaw. The total still deserves 5/5.

[Jens Poder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Der er et par rigtig gode essays i Roman KrzNarics bog, og så nogle knap så gode.

Ideen med bogen er at finde inspiration i historien til at se løsninger på fremtidens problemer. Og det giver nogle rigtig fine perspektiver ind i mellem. For eksempel et spændende kig på det som kaldes "Den radikale flanke." Det er når radikale bevægelser åbner for at mindre radikale parters synspunkter bliver hørt, fordi man frygter der yderligtgående alternativ. Som for eksempel nævnes analyser af Black Panthers og Malcolm X's store betydning for at mere moderate politikeres synspunkter om rettigheder til sorte blev accepteret i stedet.

Der er masser af spændende krudt i bogen, men man skal sortere lidt.

[Ryan Mizzen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crucial reading for our turbulent times, showing how history can guide us through this critical era in human history.

It's worth noting that since this book was published, Geoffrey Hinton, one of the three 'Godfathers of AI' and a Nobel prize winner, has raised his prediction of human extinction caused by AI to between 10% and 20% within the next 30 years. Thus, the AI chapter in the book likely underestimates the magnitude of this crisis, which threatens to outpace climate breakdown.

Overall, a fantastic read and one that I highly recommend.

[David Kerr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roman Krznaric's "History for Tomorrow" advocates for a historical lens in addressing contemporary global challenges. The author presents a compendium of historical interventions to illustrate the potential for transformative change in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Krznaric critiques prevailing trends such as unsustainable consumption and unbridled technological development, while ultimately expressing faith in the capacity of grassroots movements to effect positive change. The work is characterized by its accessibility, rigorous research, and comprehensive documentation.

[Roland Glotzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an interesting book that makes you think. It explores ten challenges of the current world : fossil fuels, tolerance, consumerism, social media, water scarcity, democracy, genetic engineering, inequality, artificial intelligence and finally civilisational breakdown. The author shows how these could be tackled by looking at events throughout history quoting Howard Zinn that history can warn as well as inspire. The author rightly writes that humanity needs to look backwards in order to move forwards.

[Gerben Bruinsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

inspirerend boek dat je helpt de kaders van de oplossingsmogelijkheden te verbreedt. Soms werden oplossingen in het boek gepresenteerd als een soort wetmatigheid van de geschiedenis terwijl ze in mijn ogen gekleurd waren door de mening van de schrijver. Iets in de geschiedenis kan ook een uitzondering zijn. Ik ben het wel met de schrijver een dat misschien ons tijd ook wel oplossingen nodig heeft die uitzonderingen zijn op de geschiedenis. Al met al een boek dat je aanzet tot denken en je kaders van dat denken op rekt.