The HUMAN Project

What should our generation do to advance the ongoing human project? THE HUMAN PROJECT is an intellectual adventure into the future of our species and an invitation to reach for the stars. Literally.

Think of the ongoing human project as an inter-generational relay. How is our generation—all of us living at the beginning of the 21st century—doing in our leg of the journey? Today we can’t give a good answer. We are mostly making it up as we go.

But what if we put some serious thought into it? Our unprecedented connectivity and access to knowledge makes it easier than ever. So let’s look as far into the future as our knowledge allows. Let’s lay out all the known challenges to our existence and opportunities for our evolution. Then, let’s step back and think: Where do we want to take the human project and why? What are the most important contributions our generation can make during our brief window of existence? And how do we get going?

We (the authors) take these questions head on in THE HUMAN PROJECT. Our answers are based on 3 years of research spanning fields from cosmology to biology, Big History to science fiction. We’ve studied scores of the global challenge lists put together by inter-governmental organizations, global fora, billionaire philanthropists, and former presidents. We’ve immersed ourselves in public debates on issues that are now well-understood and sought out lonely voices speaking about issues that have yet to register in the public’s awareness. We offer our answers as a conversation starter.

If you are a concerned member of the human race wondering where to place your life’s energy or just your cognitive or financial surplus, THE HUMAN PROJECT is a good place to start.