Mission

The Future of Humanity Institute is the leading research centre looking at big-picture questions for human civilization. The last few centuries have seen tremendous change, and this century might transform the human condition in even more fundamental ways. Using the tools of mathematics, philosophy, and science, we explore the risks and opportunities that will arise from technological change, weigh ethical dilemmas, and evaluate global priorities. Our goal is to clarify the choices that will shape humanity�s long-term future.

The Future of Humanity Institute�s mission is to bring excellent scholarship to bear on big-picture questions for humanity. We seek to focus our work where we can make the greatest positive difference. This means we pursue questions that are (a) critically important for humanity�s future, (b) unduly neglected, and (c) for which we have some idea for how to obtain an answer or at least some useful new insight. Through this work, we foster more reflective and responsible ways of dealing with humanity�s biggest challenges.

Our work spans four programmatic areas. Within these areas, we pursue a number of specific research projects.

We use a diverse set of methodological tools, drawing on both scientific theory and data and on techniques of analytic philosophy. The specifics depend on which particular research question is being addressed. In addition to relying on our in-house multidisciplinary expertise, we frequently collaborate with external experts.