Richard Fisher

Writer, journalist, lecturer, presenter

Richard Fisher

Richard Fisher is a senior journalist at the BBC, the author of a non-fiction book called The Long View, and a lecturer 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 Knight Science Journalism fellow at MIT in the US, a managing editor at the BBC, 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).

The Long View book

Writing & Editing

Fisher's work for some of the world's most influential publications spans science, technology, history, culture and philosophy.

road
the time pyramid concrete blocks
illustration of man walking on clock
bridge and sea
road

More writing:


Documentary

Fisher's short films for the BBC explore science, history and art, and were filmed on location in Scotland and Italy.

Fisher looking at Hutton's unconformity
Fisher pouring powder into urn
illustration of baby in space
Fisher in Naples

Praise & awards for The Long View

‘A captivating guide... The Long View is simply crammed with interesting ideas. This is a beautifully turned, calmly persuasive but urgent book.’
     Ian McEwan, novelist and screenwriter
’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

non-obvious book awards

Shortlisted for the Non-Obvious 'Best Non-fiction Books of 2023' awards

Fisher in Naples

Winner of a 'Most Significant Futures Works 2023' Award, run by the Association of Professional Futurists

Cartoon from Private Eye

Cartoon featured in Private Eye magazine

Main photo: Adam Proctor / Profile photo: Luke Robert Mason