Nikola Yoruba, Serbia:
“I am working at the Department of Pedagogy and Anagogy at University of Belgrade, researching how utopia influences critical thinking and learning.
Utopia, to me, means ways of imagining a better world, and I am interested in how this is connected to our ability to learn. For example, when we are promoting certain things as best examples of lifelong learning, the choices we make are linked to how we imagine our future to be.
In my mind, utopia is never a blueprint for an idealistic society, but rather a never-ending process of looking for better ways to live and co-operate. It means thinking outside the box and creating new visions, not just solving problems that already exist.
For example, I am enthusiastic about technology, but I also believe that if we do not have the space for imagining how technology can improve the world, things can go very wrong. No new technology automatically saves us or ruins us.
My fear for the future is that artificial intelligence could push us into being merely consumers. I am also worried about the rising nationalistic narratives and “us against them” mentality across Europe and the world. Instead, we should be open to radical ideas of working together to fix the current weaknesses of democracy.
I hope that, in the future, technology will help us to learn but also allow us more time to think about what it means to be a human being, what it means to be a part of nature and what it means to communicate with others.
I also think neuroscience and cognitive science will play an important role in showing the full capacity of our brain and ability to learn.
Craig A. Hammond, in his book “Hope, Utopia and Creativity in Higher Education”, highlights the importance of hope for the transformative and collaborative potential of education. We should not underestimate the motivational power of hope. How can we educate students to hope for a better world?”
Lee Gorissen, Belgium:
I believe technology is important but only if it is used with the right level of consciousness. So, the area where the most progress is needed is not technology itself, but the mindsets of people.
AI, for instance, can be a great tool, not only for humanity but for the planet, but if we unleash AI without any understanding of Natural intelligence (NI), then that is just downright foolish.
NI is the intelligence that has kept life going for billions of years despite massive change and disruption. It is about the deep principles and patterns that have made life on our planet so successful. They matter because going against the ways in which life works is inherently inefficient. It costs energy, resources, health and spirit.
NI shows us that there is another way. One of the best ways of learning about NI is through nature immersions. I once took more than 20 bankers into the woods to explore how forests invest in the future. Since forests have been around for millions of years, their investment strategies have been successful. Imagine if banks learned to do the same?
Most banks today are still investing in degradation, but what if they could catalyze regeneration, leaving the world healthier, wealthier, more viable and more sustainable? Now, there is a story that I would like to see unfold.
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