INSIGHTs

Expert analysis and commentary to help you to make sense of what’s emerging.

Society

Christmas, Consumerism and Confusion

Jonathan Rowson

Christmas is the season of shallow critique. We lament the commercialisation around us as if it were a seasonal problem, but lurking inside the wrapped presents, juicy puddings and roasted birds there are deeper questions about ethical drift and the social logic of our entire economic model.

Society

Learning to Walk Together: Small Steps towards the We of Us

Joe Ross

What is the calling that pulled us from the sea? Whatever will become of you and me? And how to become WE?

Society

The Future of Philanthropy

Louis Klein

What kind of philanthropy does our world need right now? Why venture philanthropy doesn't work, and how community and social value philanthropy can contribute to a global civil society realising the love for humanity.

Society

Contributing Effectively In TImes Of Crisis

Roger Walsh

This is not a time to play small. Our society is in turmoil, our planet plundered, our civilisation at risk. How can we contribute most effectively to help heal these crises?

Society

Cancellation Is The Child Of A Culture That Doesn't Compost

Maria Clara Parente

‘Call-out culture' is a by-product of postmodernity, where ‘post-humans’ can ‘cancel’ and outsource other human and non-human lives on a daily basis.

Society

Defund (And Redesign) Everything

Jordan Hall

Our social institutions are relics of the past. We must redesign and replace all of our institutions, and make this decade the most creative and generative in human history.

Society

Building Bridges Into The Fog

Joe Ross & Tomas Björkman

It feels like we're standing at the edge of our civilisation, looking into the void, and all we can see is mist and fog. No wonder the rise of social anxiety is rampant, expressing itself in violence, conflict and oppression. So what do we do?

Society

Exousiance: What Rivers Teach Us About Power

Minna Salami

The silencing of women and rivers in institutions of power bridges a connection between reality and myth; it is no wonder river goddesses are vengeful.

Society

Cocreation and Community Can Help Us To Build A More Resilient World

Futuro Possivel

The future is something to be built by many hands and not imposed by a few. Cocreation can help turn the collapse of the old story into a catalyst.

Society

Corona: A Tale of Two Systems. Part Two.

Bonnitta Roy

The lock down won’t go on forever. Digital naturalism - using technology to converse with the natural world, and discover a greater intelligence there - offers a life-affirming future.

Society

Corona: A Tale of Two Systems. Part One

Bonnitta Roy

Huddled in our homes, we are experiencing two very different kinds of systems. One at risk of collapse, the other ancient, resilient and based on pro-social values and collective intelligence.

Society

We Can No Longer Save The World By Playing By The Rules

Tomas Björkman

Especially in times of crisis, the systems we live in need to learn to organise in new, more complex and deeper ways, or they will break down.

Society

Eight Emerging Lessons: From Coronavirus to Climate Action

Otto Scharmer

Disruption has two sides: the things we need to let go of, and the things that are about to emerge. How can we respond in ways that help this enormous potential for change to manifest?

Society

How To Think About The Meta-Crisis Without Getting Too Excited.

Jonathan Rowson

It has become fashionable to declare a climate emergency, but the very idea of emergency only gets us so far. We cannot disentangle climate collapse from the broader crisis of civilisation.

Society

Christmas, Consumerism and Confusion

Jonathan Rowson

Despite it's bad ecological rap, consumerism meets a range of emotional and social needs. This is never more obvious than at Christmas. What can we do to fill the gap?

Society

Dear White People

Bayo Akomolafe

The notion of indigeneity is a product of white frames of knowing. You don’t have to travel far in order to be indigenous. To avoid reproducing exclusionary whiteness, you must recognise that where you are is already sacred.

Society

A Story to Bind Us: The Intellectual Deep Web and a New Meta-Narrative

Alexander Beiner

In uncertain times popular culture can reveal something about the dynamics we’re experiencing. Could it be that we're looking for the wrong answers in the wrong places?

Society

Tribalism in the 21st Century: Why It's So Hard For Us to ‘Love the Stranger'

Andrew Sweeny

Despite liberal ideologies, loving the stranger has never been easy for human beings. Keeping a world of 8 billion people from each other’s throats calls for great innovation.

Society

Complexity Isn't Complicated, We're Already Living It.

Nora Bateson

Our institutions and laws don't reflect the reality of life on Earth. Understanding and embracing a more complex approach could be the key to overcoming world crises.

Society

We Need a New Story of What It Means to be Human.

Phoebe Tickell

It’s time to accept that an increasingly complex world, we need to adapt to more nuanced stories and resist the urge to hone in on the one that is the most black-or-white.