THE POLYCRISIS DEMANDS A RENEWED HUMANISM / PROJECT SYNDICATE

The Polycrisis Demands a Renewed Humanism

In the third decade of the twenty-first century, we are facing a confluence of escalating ecological, political, economic, technological, and existential crises, each of which is reinforcing the others. The situation requires a fundamentally different set of values, not mere technocratic fixes.

Edgar Morin, Claudio Pedretti

PARIS – In 1999, one of us (Morin) introduced the term polycrisis to describe the web of interconnected catastrophes threatening our world. 

At the time, the concept was meant to serve as a warning; but it has since become our reality. 

We are facing a confluence of escalating ecological, political, economic, technological, and existential crises, each of which is reinforcing the others.

The polycrisis is best understood as a cascade: a tangle of intertwined non-linear causes and ripple effects. 

Climate change leads to human displacement and forced migration, which fuels xenophobia and nationalism, weakening global cooperation and further accelerating ecological collapse. 

Economic inequality erodes trust, fueling authoritarianism and violence. 

Technological innovation offers solutions, but also causes new problems: fractured communities, destabilized work patterns, and distorted public discourse. 

The COVID-19 pandemic, new wars, growing mental-health crises, and democratic backsliding are not isolated phenomena, but rather symptoms of a deeper systemic rupture.

To grapple with so much complexity, we must first reject reductive thinking. 

Our institutions, divided by rigid disciplines and linear cause-and-effect models, are no longer fit for purpose. 

We need an approach that acknowledges networks and relationships, accepts contradictions, and recognizes the limits of our understanding; one that combines critical rigor with creative intuition, and scientific clarity with poetic vision. 

We must meet complexity with humility, not denial.

We also need something deeper: a new perspective that centers on our shared humanity. Call it Renewed Humanism. 

Born during the Renaissance, Humanism put dignity at the heart of artistic and intellectual pursuits. 

But as the Enlightenment advanced the values of reason, liberty, equality, and progress, Humanism lost its way, elevating the individual over the planet, justifying colonial conquest and ceaseless commodification, and erasing the spiritual dimension from our shared consciousness.

A Renewed Humanism would reclaim the value of humility. 

It would ground dignity in relationality, recognizing that every person is bound to all others in a shared community. 

It would operate globally, encouraging ecological prudence, spiritual dialogue, and cultural diversity. 

It would not reject science, but it would ground the scientific disciplines in a shared ethics. 

It would not view technology with fear, but it would steer innovation proactively.

The point is not to retreat into nostalgia, but to open new paths to the future. 

Today’s environmental crises, democratic decline, and erosion of meaning are not obstacles; they are opportunities to redefine what it means to be human together.

This is not naive optimism. 

Our hope is firmly grounded in an awareness of humanity’s current predicament. 

As Václav Havel wrote, “hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.” 

Even in the face of darkness, we can bring the light, because Humanist values are embedded in human nature itself. 

These include an appreciation for complexity, interdependence, dignity, the responsibilities that accompany freedom, mutual understanding, spirituality, a politics of civilization, and an integral ecology.

Rather than fight those who act destructively, we should dissent with love. 

We must embrace them, trusting that every human being holds the potential to arrive at Humanist values. 

We can already see this awakening around the world, especially among young people. 

They are using the tools at their disposal to advocate for climate justice, preserve Indigenous wisdom, build feminist economies, practice regenerative agriculture, and foster interfaith dialogue. 

By rejecting the false dichotomies between reason and emotion, analysis and empathy, humanity and nature, they embody a Renewed Humanism.

The polycrisis cannot be addressed with isolated measures or slogans. 

It demands cultural and ethical metamorphosis, a rebirth of collective consciousness, institutions, and values. 

That is why we are deeply encouraged by the launch of the World Humanism Forum, an intergenerational gathering of thinkers, dreamers, leaders, and wisdom-keepers. 

Rather than simply lamenting the risks we face, they will ask what it means to be human in a wounded world, and what we can repair, reimagine, and rekindle.

Though we will not arrive at definitive answers, we can at least consider the same questions. 

For example, how can we ground education in curiosity and compassion? 

How can we build economies that affirm life rather than exploit it? 

And which stories can we tell to reconnect humans with the natural environment?

In a world that has privileged technical rationality over emotional depth, reclaiming the passions is not a sign of weakness, but a source of strength. 

We need minds that feel and hearts that think. 

We need to muster the courage to let others’ suffering move us. 

Emotion and reason are not enemies. 

When they are integrated, the combination is far more powerful than either on its own.

We won’t overcome the polycrisis without multilateralism, but nor can we maintain the technocratic approach that has dominated global gatherings. 

We need a humanistic multilateralism that is inclusive, participatory, and built on trust and shared responsibility. 

Climate action must go beyond finance and science. 

Reducing emissions is not enough. 

We must regenerate ecosystems, protect biodiversity, and transform our way of inhabiting Earth.

Climate is ultimately the metric of our planetary consciousness. 

Renewed Humanism will not solve everything, but it will give us a compass. 

After centuries of trying to conquer the world, we must learn to care for it. 

That means embracing complexity, and reclaiming the best of what makes us human.

Edgar Morin is a leading French philosopher and sociologist. Among his many books are On Complexity, The Method, and The Imaginary Man.

Claudio Pedretti is Founder and Chair of the World Humanism Forum and author of the forthcoming Dear Edgar: A Renewed Humanism (2026).