Richard Fisher
Journalist, author, lecturer, presenter
Richard Fisher is a senior editor at Aeon, the author of a non-fiction book called The Long View, and an honorary professor in science communication at University College London.He is also a speaker, consultant and freelance writer (New York Times, The Observer, Vox, New Scientist.)Previously, he was a senior journalist and managing editor at the BBC, a Knight Science Journalism fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a features and news editor at New Scientist.
Books
Fisher's first book – The Long View – explores the dangers of short-termism, the psychology of time perception, and the personal benefits of long-term thinking (Wildfire/Headline, March 2023).
- Newsletter: Subscribe to The Long View: A Field Guide
- Agent: Kate Evans - Peters, Fraser + Dunlop
- Praise & awards for The Long View
Writing & Editing
Fisher's work for some of the world's most influential publications spans science, technology, history, culture and philosophy.
Naples sits on volcanic monsters - and one of them could consume the city (BBC)
More writing:
- Why do we clap? (BBC)
- Why it's proving difficult to define the official dawn of the Anthropocene (BBC)
- The A-Z of AI: 30 terms you need to understand artificial intelligence (BBC)
- Should we geoengineer volcanoes? (BBC)
- The upsides of feeling small (BBC)
- The atomic bomb marker inside your body (BBC)
- The environmental case for buying a coal mine (BBC)
- The super-clocks that define what time it is (BBC)
- How the next 'supercontinent' will form (BBC)
- The numbers too big to imagine (BBC)
- The mysterious doodles hidden in a 1,300-year-old book (BBC)
- The invisible impact of 'slow violence' (BBC)
- Generational amnesia: The memory loss that harms the planet (BBC)
- The benefits of 'deep time thinking' (BBC)
- Existential hope: How we can embrace deep time and create the brightest of futures (Big Think)
- The Norwegian library with unreadable books (BBC)
- Humanity is stuck in short-term thinking. Here’s how we escape (MIT Tech Review)
- The perils of short-termism: Civilisation's greatest threat (BBC)
- The "Deep Civilisation" season (BBC)
Documentary
Fisher's short films for the BBC explore science, history and art, and were filmed on location in Scotland and Italy.
In the first of a trilogy of films about deep time, Fisher traces the steps of geologist James Hutton, who in the 1700s would transform our understanding of Earth history.
Fisher profiles the mind-expanding work of artist Katie Paterson, including a library in Oslo whose books won't be read until 2114, and a room in Scotland that holds all of time - from pre-solar dust to Anthropocene detritus.
Right now, there are millions of people from the next century, walking among us – but they're not time travellers. An animated explainer about our relationship with past and future generations.
Fisher visits Naples to explore the city's sublime volcanoes - and discovers a little-known geological danger lurking beneath the city.
Teaching & Training
Fisher is an Honorary Professor of Practice in the department of science and technology studies at University College London. He teaches "digital skills" on the MSc Science Communication course.He also offers workshops, consultancy and training in communication skills for external clients.
Events
Fisher is a speaker, moderator and panellist with experience presenting at events across the UK and internationally, from Chile to Australia.He has been invited to speak at various literary festivals, including Cheltenham, Stratford, Edinburgh, and Guernsey.
Interviews
A selection of podcasts, interviews and YouTube channels featuring Fisher and his work:
- Bloomberg Green Daily with Akshat Rathi
- New Scientist podcast with Rowan Hooper
- Better Known podcast with Ivan Wise
- Futures podcast with Luke Robert Mason
- Science for the People podcast with Bethany Brookshire
- Converging Dialogues podcast with Xavier Bonilla
- Ours for the Making with James Janson Young
- Reasons to be Cheerful
- The Psychologist
- ABC Future Tense
- Smart Thinking Books
- Psychology Today
Praise & awards for The Long View
’A wise, humane book laced with curiosity and hope. It will open your mind and horizons – and leave you giddy at the prospect of all that we may yet become.’
Tom Chatfield, author of Wise Animals'Fisher has poured a decade's worth of thinking [on short-termism] into The Long View. The result is an erudite survey of a subject he believes could decide the fate of humanity... I hope our political class reads and absorbs this book.'
Josh Glancy, Sunday Times‘The Long View is sprawling in its coverage, but clear throughout, and offers a compelling vision of how so many strands of human thought have come together to support long-term perspectives.’
Tyler Cowen, TLS'This is a war book. It’s about the struggle for a view of time that gives us a chance of survival. It’s immaculately researched, splendidly written and an antidote to despair.'
Charles Foster, Literary Review'Utterly brilliant. Profoundly thought-provoking, and at times movingly personal, The Long View is a crucial exploration of our relationship with time. Full of lessons from our past and hope for the future, this is the essential roadmap for how we can successfully navigate the coming centuries.'
Lewis Dartnell, author of Being Human‘Hope-filled and revelatory … Beautifully readable and scholarly, rich and personal, this book shows how, to leave a robust legacy for the future, we need to overcome our bias for the present.’
Rowan Hooper, author of How to Spend a Trillion Dollars‘A soaring hymn to all that might lie in the future; alongside the diverse and beautiful ways to think about it. Overflowing with wisdom and insight.’
Thomas Moynihan, author of X-Risk‘Few books can claim to shake your perspective on life, but The Long View does exactly that … a landmark book that could help to build a much brighter future for many generations to come.’
David Robson, author of The Expectation Effect‘The Long View is a manifesto calling for a radical reconception of our relationship with time. Richard Fisher documents the social, psychological, and economic reasons we have become stranded on the Island of Now – and charts routes for us to get back to the mainland.’
Marcia Bjornerud, author of Timefulness'A compassionate, beautifully considered meditation on how we think about the future, and why that needs to change.'
Michael Bond, author of Wayfinding'Urgent and profound. Richard Fisher's The Long View shows how thinking differently about time can change the world. The future begins with how we imagine it. This is essential reading for anyone who wishes to be a good ancestor.'
David Farrier, author of Footprints'Philosophical, insightful and entertaining. In a world of short sightedness, The Long View is a helpful guide to understand and connect us to the future. In the light of the climate emergency, long term thinking is more urgent than ever.'
Andri Snær Magnason, author of On Time and Water'A hope-fueled path toward the twenty-third century. Lucidly written, The Long View challenges us to remove our temporal blinkers and embrace a more long-minded awareness of humanity’s future possibilities. An astounding read.'
Vincent Ialenti, author of Deep Time Reckoning'Some of our greatest powers derive from our ability to think about the future ... a fascinating tour of long-mindedness, and why it matters.'
Thomas Suddendorf, co-author of The Invention of Tomorrow
Shortlisted for the Non-Obvious 'Best Non-fiction Books of 2023' awards
Winner of a 'Most Significant Futures Works 2023' Award, run by the Association of Professional Futurists
Cartoon featured in Private Eye magazine
Main photo: Adam Proctor / Profile photo: Luke Robert Mason