What and Why of a Second Renaissance
What is a second renaissance, and why does it matter now? The paper that starts the series: our crises are rooted in the worldview of modernity, and a shift in worldview is both possible and needed.
Papers
What is breaking down, why, and how a deeper cultural shift can come about: our series of papers, free to read.
Wisdom and Wanting What's Good
Wisdom as a practical, collective capacity for choosing what's good and acting skilfully towards it, and why modern society, trusting only what can be measured, has neglected it.
Launch webinar: Wednesday, 18 November 2026. Register
How the papers fit together
The papers set out one thesis in four steps: the crises we face, their shared root, why renewal is possible, and the path. Papers 1 and 2 give the overview; each of the others goes deep on one step, or brings the thesis to one field or idea.
All papers
In the order they came out.
What and Why of a Second Renaissance
What is a second renaissance, and why does it matter now? The paper that starts the series: our crises are rooted in the worldview of modernity, and a shift in worldview is both possible and needed.
The whole story in brief
How of a Second Renaissance
How does deep cultural change come about? How paradigm shifts emerge, what drives them, and what conditions help a transformation spread.
The whole story in brief
From Polycrisis to Metacrisis
Polycrisis names the tangle of crises we face; metacrisis names what generates them. A short introduction to how the modern worldview drives them.
Steps 1–2 · the crises and their shared root
Developmental Spaces
Our crises need a shift in worldview, not only technical fixes. A model for places where communities grow together, inwardly and over time: cultural incubators for a time of transformation.
Step 4 · the path
In Tech We Trust
Modern society treats technology as a god. Where that faith comes from, and the shift in worldview that could help us choose more wisely what we build.
A paper on technology · draws on all four stepsWisdom and Wanting What's Good
Wisdom as a practical, collective capacity for choosing what's good and acting skilfully towards it, and why modern society, trusting only what can be measured, has neglected it.
A paper on wisdom · draws on steps 3–4Cultural Evolution and Paradigmatic Change
Cultural paradigms have shifted before. What drives such shifts, and why conscious cultural evolution is what this moment needs.
Step 3 · renewal is possibleA guide to the names
The first papers came out as the Second Renaissance series; the numbering carries on.
New papers by email
Two to four a year. We'll write when the next one is out, with its launch event. Nothing else unless you ask.
Want to talk a paper through with others? Join a call.