By: Richard Fisher
Published: BBC, 10 January 2019, http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20190109-the-perils-of-short-termism-civilisations-greatest-threat
Level: ***
BEFORE YOU READ
·
Short-termism is killing us:
it’s time for Longpath https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbwJKdwXC7M
NOTE TO THE STUDENT
The following reading task mostly contains search reading questions as the
text is a factual text.
QUESTIONS
1.
Why
do we neglect to think about the well-being of future generations?
2.
Because
the ‘now’ requires so much attention, …………………………….
3.
What
conclusion can be drawn from the arguments thus far?
4.
Many
thinkers feel what we really need to do is …….because….
5.
What
innate capability should make it possible for us to break out of our current
frame of mind?
6.
The
above is significant in that it means humans…
7.
What
inclination which is ingrained in humans has a role in preventing us from
breaking out of our current frame of mind?
8.
What
does “this” refer to in the phrase “There is nowhere this is more apparent…”
STOP HERE AND WATCH: Cost –benefit interest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mol1yT7tczY
9.
Read
the example of Clarissa. Why does she end up refusing to take a decision that
would benefit future generations?
10.
The
main reason why so little progress has been made in combating climate change is
the fact that…
11.
Study
the scale of unborn generations: not taking the wellbeing of future
generations is criminal / unethical /
unacceptable/ unavoidable. Select as many as fit.
12.
According
to Krznaric, the current disregard for the impacts
of manmade problems on Earth is similar to the principle of “terra nullius”
because ...
13.
What
change in attitude is necessary to rectify the above problem?
STOP HERE AND STUDY: https://futuregenerations.wales/
14.
A.
Certain places in Europe have started to try and address the above problem and
the most noteworthy of them is ……….where …… . The same area has also taken a
unique step by….
IF YOU WANT TO TAKE A BREAK,
THIS IS WHEN TO DO SO.
15.
Read
the account of the meeting of researchers in Sweden.
·
What
was the purpose of their research? Why?
·
The researchers
based their predictions on the premise that…
·
The
status quo scenario is unlikely because….. and because …
·
The
researchers are especially pessimistic about the future because in recently we have…
·
What
conclusion can we draw from the flow chart?
16.
The
writer is pessimistic about the future because he feels that…
17.
What
does “That” refer to in the phrase “That’s the thinking behind one
new initiative…” ?
STOP AND WATCH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuKmSyCbNk4
18.
Read
the account of the Long Time Inquiry.
·
What
conclusion can we draw from the account of the role of art?
·
How do
Saltmarsh and Pembroke propose to address the problem of short-termism? By…
·
The
inspiration for the Long Term Inquiry was ......and……….
·
What
needs to change for us to be able to deal with the problem of short-termism is…
STOP AND WATCH: https://www.futurelibrary.no/#/
·
The
Future Library and Longplayer of both
examples of…
19.
Read
the account of Brian Eno’s endeavors and answer the questions:
·
The story
of the dinner invitation demonstrates the current …..
·
Eno
disagrees with the dominant world view because he…
·
The
purpose of The Rosetta Project and Long Bets is…
STOP AND WATCH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbwJKdwXC7M AND https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-HNOug1GUs
·
We
understand from the account of the clock that this project is extremely…
·
Why
have scientists set about such a difficult project?
·
The
BBC Future project set out to corroborate or refute the hypothesis that…
·
People
who feel……………………………….may object to the clock
20.
The
writer’s opinion that……………….leads him to worry about what he can do as an
individual to combat short-termism
21.
How
does the writer eventually decide to combat short-termism as an individual? By…
WRITING TASK
Use all the information that you have gathered to write an essay on what short-termism is and what effects it has
THE PERILS OF SHORT-TERMISM: CIVILIZATION’S GREATEST THREAT; KEY AND
TEACHERS’ NOTES
This thought-provoking text tackles the issue of short-termism, an attitude
to time which colors all our activities in the 21st century and
which poses a threat to future generations. It sets out to show that our
attitude is unethical and needs to change. The text is rounded off with an
account of the current efforts to combat the problem. It is a typical problem
and solution text and due its structure can be done in installments.
1.
It’s so far ahead, clouded
with so many possibilities, that the route we will take to get to the future is
difficult to see
2.
There is no energy left for
imagining the future
3.
Short-termism may be the
greatest threat our species is facing this century
4.
Break out of our short-termist
ways/ the longevity of civilisation depends on us extending our frame of
reference in time( – considering the world and our descendants through a much
longer lense)
5.
The
capability of mental time travel
6.
Have the innate ability, then,
to imagine the consequences of our actions in deeper time
7.
Present bias
8. It is hard to muster empathy for our descendants. (You need to replace this
with the phase to see how it fits into the sentence)
9. Many politicians – and the societies they govern – have a limit to how much
cost they are collectively willing to bear for the benefit of people who don’t
yet exist. (Read the question and the answer together to see why the answer
makes sense.)
10. The importance of the benefits felt by future human beings in the
calculation of discount rates eventually dwindles to nothing. (You need to
replace referrals to make the answer meaningful.
11.
Unethical,
unacceptable
12.
It is (essentially ) decided that
future generations have no ownership rights there, or any say over how it
evolves.
14. Wales /Sophie Howe was appointed future generations’ commissioner/ writing into law the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act,”
15. To discuss the existential risks facing humanity / They had a moral concern
for our descendants / While the future is uncertain, it is not unknown/biology
suggests that each
mammalian species exists, on average, for roughly 1 million years before it becomes extinct, the time scale is long / we've added a
whole host of additional human-made risks into the mix too – from nuclear
armageddon to AI apocalypse to anthropogenic climate change. / Our actions in
the 21st century could shape which of the future paths we will take.
16. Our power to destroy ourselves is radically outstripping our wisdom and
foresight.
17. There need to be approaches and arguments that inspire and engage the
non-rational part of our brain too
18. Culture forms the operating system for our society / fostering and
encouraging new cultural works about the long-term as well as creating a
network of like-minded artists, institutions and intellectuals. / a principle
called ‘Seventh
Generation’ stewardship and concepts such as Cathedral Thinking / our attitude to death/ the use of art and other symbolic means to provoke
people to think longer term
19. Narrow view or attitude to space – best answer / wants to be living in a Big Here and a Long Now.” / provide a counterpoint
to today's accelerating culture and help make long-term thinking more common”.
/ ambitious / to provoke its visitors to reflect on their place in time / works
of art or installations such as the clock can influence people’s views and
actions in ways that rational, empirical arguments cannot / riches of a
corporation notorious for paying low taxes might be better spent on long-term
infrastructure, catastrophe prevention or social programmes that benefit future
generations.
20. We owe an ethical obligation to our descendants to leave a better world
than the one we inherited ourselves
21. Trying his hardest to widen the horizons, empathy and potential of a little
girl who can’t yet imagine a world beyond life as a 10-year-old.
