A Second Renaissance, Metamodern Approach to Tech

How integrating wisdom, mindfulness, and collective action can shape technology in service of a wiser world

Rufus Pollock and Sylvie Barbier presented as part of the Technological Metamodernism 4-week Course hosted by Stephen Reid. In this talk, they explore the growing need for our approach to technology to evolve alongside it—shifting towards one that is more mindful, reflective, and centered on human values.

Watch the talk here

View the slides here.

About the talk

A Second Renaissance approach to technology argues for a more reflective and deliberate relationship with tech. Rufus and Sylvie highlight the current attitude of blind deference to tech as if it were a runaway horse, speeding ahead without much thought to where it's leading us.

The relentless focus on speed and growth, especially in places like Silicon Valley, is unsustainable. Instead, we need to slow down, taking a moment to pause and consider the deeper implications of these advancements on human behavior, cognition, and even our sense of identity.

As AI rapidly evolves, we must balance this with our natural instincts, and take time to reflect on what makes us uniquely human, ensuring that technology serves us, not the other way around. Rufus and Sylvie propose that it is in the cultivation of wisdom and collective action that is the key to creating a future where technology and humanity can co-exist harmoniously.

The invitation is this: to take the reins of the rushing horse, not to stop its progress, but to guide it wisely, with care and consideration for all.

About Rufus Pollock

Rufus Pollock is an entrepreneur, activist and author as well as a long-term zen practitioner. He is passionate about finding wiser, weller ways to live together. He has founded several for-profit and nonprofit initiatives including Life Itself, Open Knowledge Foundation, and Datopian. His book Open Revolution is about making a radically freer and fairer information age. Previously he has been the Mead Fellow in Economics at the University of Cambridge as well as a Shuttleworth and Ashoka Fellow. A recognized global expert on the information society, he has worked with G7 governments, IGOs like the UN, Fortune 500s as well as many civil society organizations. He holds a PhD in Economics and a double first in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge. Find out more about his work on his website: rufuspollock.com.

About Sylvie Barbier

Sylvie Barbier is a French-Taiwanese performance artist, entrepreneur and educator. She co-founded Life Itself to build a wiser future through culture, space and community.