Nicholas Paul Brysiewicz on the Long-term View

My guest today is Nicholas Paul Brysiewicz, the director of development of the Long Now Foundation in San Francisco, CA. The Foundation was created to foster long-term thinking, and in this conversation, Nick and I talk about how a broader time perspective can help us understand difficult times and lay the groundwork for a better future.

A note about context: We recorded this conversation in early March of 2020, before the coronavirus had been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization and a national emergency by the U.S. government. I’m certain our tone would’ve been more somber if we were talking about this subject closer to the date of publication. Still, I find that adopting a broader perspective helps me make more level-headed decisions, especially during difficult times. Finally, please heed the advice of medical experts and avoid social places like The Interval for the time being.

Listen to the full conversation

Show notes

• The Long Now Foundation
• The 10,000 Year Clock
• The Rosetta Project
• Revive & Restore
• Long Bets
• The Interval, San Francisco, CA
• Seminars About Long-term Thinking
• U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• World Health Organization (WHO)
• Elon Musk
• Qasem Soleimani
• Herodotus
• The Greco-Persian Wars
• The Landmark Herodotus: The Histories
• The Republic of Plato, translated by Allan Bloom
• Professor Elizabeth Vandiver, Ph.D.
• The Great Courses
• Herodotus: The Father of History
• Ian McKellen
• The Odyssey audiobook, narrated by Ian McKellen
• Game of Thrones

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