Convening for Action in British Columbia

DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Perspectives on reconciling the disconnect between short-term and long-term thinking” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in September 2022

September 27, 2022 - Posted in ...2022, PUBLICATIONS & DOWNLOADS

Note to Reader:

Waterbucket eNews celebrates the leadership of individuals and organizations who are guided by the Living Water Smart vision. Storylines accommodate a range of reader attention spans. Read the headline and move on, or take the time to delve deeper – it is your choice! Downloadable versions are available at Living Water Smart in British Columbia: The Series.

In the edition published on September 27, 2022, the Partnership for Water Sustainability i British Columbia introduced readers to Dr. William MacAskill. He is a proponent of what’s known as longtermism – the view that the deep future is something we have to address now. The storyline also interweaved the writings of Eva Kras about reconciling the disconnect between short-term and long-term thinking.

CREATING OUR FUTURE IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: Reconciling the disconnect between short-term and long-term thinking

In August 2022, author William MacAskill released his new book, What We Owe the Future. “He is a proponent of what’s known as longtermism – the view that the deep future is something we have to address now,” summarized Andrew Anthony in an interview published in The Guardian newspaper.

“Although most cultures, particularly in the west, provide a great many commemorations of distant ancestors – statues, portraits, buildings – we are much less willing to consider our far-off descendants. We might invoke grandchildren, at a push great-grandchildren, but after that, it all becomes a bit vague and, well, unimaginable,” he added.

A key takeaway from the Guardian interview is that “in societies undergoing rapid change, we feel more disconnected from the distant future because we struggle to conceive what it will be like.”

“Something I love about longtermism is that it is really just built on three sentences. Future people count. There could be a lot of them. We can make their lives better,” stated Ezra Klein, NY Times columnist, when he welcomed William MacAskill to The Ezra Klein Show podcast.

The world’s long-run fate depends in part on the choices we make in our lifetimes

“After reflecting on the picture that William MacAskill paints, my colleague and mentor Eric Bonham pointed out the parallels with Eva Kras – visionary, scholar, university professor, lecturer, traveler and author. Her knowledge and wisdom have influenced the work of the Partnership, especially after she and her husband retired to British Columbia in 2014,” stated Kim Stephens, Waterbucket eNews Editor and Partnership Executive Director.

“Eva Kras wrote THE BLOCKAGE–Rethinking Organizational Principles for the 21st Century, published in 2007. Her last book, Future for Youth Employment: New Changes in Approaches to Business, was published in 2018. For the best part of a decade, Eva Kras was a key contributor to the Partnership’s “convening for action” initiative on Vancouver Island.”

“Eric Bonham and I believe that Eva Kras would have enjoyed meeting William MacAskill. They would have had much to share about reconciling the disconnect between short-term and long-term thinking.”

HOW WE THINK: How it affects sustainability

“At an international business conference in 2015, Eva Kras built on brain research findings by Ian Gilchrist, renowned psychiatrist and thinker. He defined the two types of thinking processes as The Master and his Emissary. Eva Kras created an intellectual bridge between his research and the potential for its application in the world of business.”

“She characterized the Left Hemisphere (Emissary) as ‘short-term + pragmatic = show me the money thinking’. The Right Hemisphere (Master), she said, is ‘long-term + holistic = leap of faith thinking’.”

“It seems that only Left Hemisphere logical, rational thinking has been accepted as valid,” explained Eva Kras in her paper. “Both ways of thinking are important, but the sad part is that we have convinced ourselves that the Left Hemisphere can do EVERYTHING.”

“New research by Ian Gilchrist demonstrates that we need to re-learn basically ‘how we think’, using both hemispheres, to switch things around to achieve a viable balance between the two types of thought processes,” she concluded. This need to re-learn aligns with William MacAskill’s research into understanding why Western society tends to neglect the future in favour of the present.”

To Learn More:

To read the complete story posted on September 27th 2022, download a PDF copy of Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Perspectives on reconciling the disconnect between short-term and long-term thinking.