February 2026 Newsletter - Life Itself
Welcome to our February 2026 Newsletter. This month: a new white paper, the next Second Renaissance course, updates from Over the Mountains and Life Itself Research, and a warm farewell to Lauren.
In Tech We Trust paper & webinar 18th March
A new white paper is out: In Tech We Trust. It examines the god-like authority of technology in the modern age – and what it means to set a wiser course.
Join us on Wednesday 18th March, 5:30pm Europe / 12 noon eastern for a live roundtable for the launch of the paper with the authors and invited panellists including Michael Garfield (Humans in the Loop podcast) and Jenny Stefanotti (Denizen).
This roundtable will open a timely conversation on topics like: Has technology become a kind of modern “god”? How do modern assumptions — individualism, rationalism, materialism, and the myth of progress — shape our relationship with AI? What might it mean to shift from out-of-control technological acceleration towards collective restraint? Rather than focusing only on governance, the discussion will examine the cultural paradigm shaping our technological era — and the inner capacities needed to navigate it well.
Upcoming course: Exploring a Second Renaissance Together
A guided journey to deepen your understanding of this moment of crisis and renewal.
Join our short online course to explore together this time between worlds and the growing civilisational crisis and renewal – a Metacrisis and Second Renaissance.
Led by Life Itself co-founders and Second Renaissance project curators Rufus Pollock and Sylvie Barbier, this series is an invitation to those already curious about the cracks in the modern worldview — and those feeling the pull towards a more connected, meaningful, and regenerative future.
📆 When: 18th and 25th March, 1st April, 8th April 2026
🕰️ Format: 4 sessions of 1h30min over 4 weeks (recordings available)
🌐 Where: Online, interactive sessions
💶 Price: €39 / $39 (scholarships available on request)
🙌 Register: directly on Luma
ℹ️ More information: visit the course landing page for further information about the programme and how to register.
❤️ Thank You, Lauren ❤️
Lauren Wigmore, our beloved Community Manager, is transitioning into a full-time role at Liminal Learning. We’d like to thank Lauren for the incredible dedication she has brought to the Life Itself team. She has been a cornerstone of our community and is a true exemplar of the values we wish to see in the world. While she’ll be dearly missed in her capacity as a team member, we’re excited to see what’s in store for her over at Liminal Learning.
Below are some reflections from Lauren about her time working at Life Itself.
🏔️ Over The Mountains 🏔️
How Authoritarian Regimes like Iran Can Fall
Last week we released Episode 10 of Over The Mountains: “You say you want a revolution”: How Authoritarian Regimes like Iran Can Fall. This episode, which was recorded prior to the recent US-Israel military intervention, explores what history can tell us about how regime change, the mass protest movement in Iran, and the possibility of systemic change in today’s world.
The Divine Whore & The Holy Mother: Reclaiming Eros as Sacred Power
Sylvie Barbier also released a new blog post entitled ‘The Divine Whore & The Holy Mother: Reclaiming Eros as Sacred Power’ which explores how the cultural shaming of sex fuels exploitation and abuse:
With the revelations of the Epstein files and the Pelicot case, we owe it to ourselves to ask: how is it that we, as a society, have arrived here? Because this is not only the moral failure of individuals — it asks a deeper question: what cultural and legal conditions have made this possible?
💡Life Itself Research💡
Complexity Science Retreat
On Friday 13th February, ten intellectual explorers arrived in Steinlands, Norway, for five days of complexity themed discussion and inquiry.
Led by Jonah Wilberg and Max Ramsahoye from Life Itself Research, the week included participant-led presentations on topics from complexity science and society, AI interpretability and network theory, as well as meditation, yoga and walks in the surrounding snow-filled landscape.
Ongoing Programme
The Life Itself Research collective also continued its active online programme in February, including a presentation by Eric Heinis on Ethical AI architectures, and from Momcilo Mijovic on ‘Rapid Bonding’.
In addition, Jonah Wilberg released the third and final part of his extended sequence on the concept of Moloch.
Life itself Riverside Hub
Here is an article from our inner house tenzo, related to her last book Shojin, where she explores an active way of being with the complexity and suffering of our food. Inspired by the Zen tradition, it resonates with a metamodern posture.
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