Launching the Second Renaissance project

An introduction to this moment of civilisational crisis and awakening - and the emerging ecosystem related to it

May 29, 2024

We’re excited to announce a first release of our “Second Renaissance” initiative:

It’s a distillation of much of our work over the last few years on this emerging area.

Our current civilization is crumbling, leading to a period of crisis and potential rebirth – what we could call a "second renaissance".

There are many names associated with it: metamodern, metacrisis, integral, teal, liminal web, gameB, regenerative and more.

The Second Renaissance project is a simple introduction to this moment of civilization crisis and awakening - and the emerging ecosystem related to it.

In our experience it isn’t easy to get a handle on this emerging space. There can be a bewildering variety of terms and ideas. We’re hoping to make it easier for people, especially those first encountering it, to find out more and go deeper if they want to.

The project contains a simple framing narrative along with introductions to key ideas, as well as a wiki and forum for community contribution and conversation. It aims to provides an accessible entry-point – a gateway – for people to discover and make sense of this emerging moment and field. A bit like a curated art gallery for an emerging area of art.

Read on for more detail about what we’re creating and why, and who is involved in the project.

Who is involved

The project was initiated by Life Itself and currently has the following team of curators and advisors.

Curators

Rufus Pollock, co-founder Life Itself — Curatorial Lead
Catherine Tran, Life Itself Research — Research lead
Danielle Johnson, Limicon — Onboarding Lead and Deputy of Wiki
James Baker, Intentional Society — Curator and Social Designer
Lauren Wigmore, Life Itself — Communications
Simon Grant, Life Itself Senior Research Associate — Wiki Lead
Sylvie Barbier, co-founder Life Itself — Design and Narrative

Advisors

Alexander Beiner, co-founder of Rebel Wisdom
Daniel Thorson, Emerge Podcast
Isabela Granic, McMaster University and Liminal Learning
Jamie Bristow, Mindfulness Initiative
Joe Lightfoot, Collective Blooming
Naryan Wong, Cultivating Leadership and Limicon
Oren Slozberg, Commonweal
Peter Limberg, The Stoa
Phil Chen, Eon v Labs and Limicon
Richard Bartlett, The Hum and Microsolidarity

There’s a growing ecosystem but it’s hard to access

There is a growing ecosystem of people who are recognising the need for social change which is:

Paradigmatic (or metacrisis aware): seeking a transformation of the entire social paradigm at both a structural and “ontological” (worldview and narratives) level, i.e. not just incremental reform of existing systems.
Inner-led: integrating the need for “inner” change of (individual and collective) worldviews, values, belief systems, and consciousness – as well as “outer” change of economic, political, and technological infrastructures and policies etc.

However, the ecosystem is still difficult to discover, engage with, and make sense of. For instance, there are many new terms associated with it: metamodern, metacrisis, integral, teal, liminal web, game B, regenerative, and more. It can be hard to understand what they all mean and how they all fit together. There is a lot of information and content out there, comprising many perspectives and approaches. Navigating all of this can be overwhelming and bewildering – including for us too sometimes.

How can we help people to find a path into or through this emerging ecosystem which supports them to realize meaningful changes in their lives and the world around them?

We don’t think we have all the answers, but we think there’s a lot of wisdom and valuable collective experience in this ecosystem we see emerging – and so we want to use our own experiences to try to support others to discover and engage with this space.

An accessible gateway to this emerging field with a framing narrative, key themes and curated content

Second Renaissance is a website offering curated content to help people make sense of this time of civilisational crisis and possibility – and take a step forwards on their own path. Sensemaking in support of courageous action. It’s a resource for anyone interested in rigorous inquiry and wise action to find ways through the metacrisis towards civilisational regeneration and rebirth.

The content will include curated resources such as videos, articles, podcasts and more, that help people learn about and make sense of leading-edge ideas, practices, methods, frameworks, approaches, and initiatives. This material will be distributed both via the website and a monthly newsletter. There will also be a wiki and forum for community contribution and conversation.

Our guiding principles are:

Curated: so that there is a focused and distinct curatorial perspective.
Note: this doesn’t mean that what we offer is the only, or “right”, or “best” perspective. However, we will try to be as clear and transparent as we can about our curatorial frame and welcome constructive feedback on our approach.
Accessible: simple, shareable and easy to understand.
Public: Open to everyone.

What is a “Second Renaissance”?

In part, we hope to clarify this through the process of curating existing content, distilling key ideas, and synthesizing key patterns.

That said, we do have an initial frame with the “Second Renaissance” referring to the idea that we are living in a time in which the possibilities of civilisational collapse and radical renewal exist side by side. We also use it to refer to the growing movement of people who are recognising this and are engaged in catalysing and stewarding a social paradigm shift in their lives and work based on it.