Society

Even if I had all the money in the world, no problem worth fixing can be solved in my lifetime. The best I can do is to be part of the process, and to help the world figure it out.

Documentary Filmmaker & Philanthropist, Walt Disney's Great-Granddaughter

Imagine Martin Luther King walked into your foundation. Would he pass muster? He would not get a dime out of most contemporary foundations because he would say, 'honestly? This work will take years, people are going to die, I'm not sure how it will turn out.'

Documentary Filmmaker & Philanthropist, Walt Disney's Great-Granddaughter

I often hear people say that everything that matters must be measured, and if it can't be measured, it doesn't matter. I believe the absolute reverse. Nothing that matters can be measured. I don't think there's anything on this earth worth lifting a finger for that you can measure.

Documentary Filmmaker & Philanthropist, Walt Disney's Great-Granddaughter

If you imagine the archetypal social environment we have, probably until the beginning of the twentieth century, we saw our network, our community, every day. If a relative emigrated, we lost track of them very quickly and the family link disappeared as it was a very 'up front' person to person relationship.

Evolutionary Psychologist Known for Dunbar's Number Theory

There is something about the female psyche which is intensely social, and the most trivial conversations become part of the process of bonding. They may appear trivial but there will be a lot more un-stated below the surface - a form of commitment.

Evolutionary Psychologist Known for Dunbar's Number Theory

Modern society, specifically the modern economy, is very mobile. Our friendships and social networks become very quickly dispersed. At any one time, we build friendships and relationships with people and, for example, due to work, move on.

Evolutionary Psychologist Known for Dunbar's Number Theory

Like all primates, we are an intensely social species, and having our friends, cohorts, and acquaintances close is important to our general success. In these senses 'keeping the wheels oiled' is critical, hence why we like gossip, and hence why biographies and fiction so wildly outsell anything else in the books market.

Evolutionary Psychologist Known for Dunbar's Number Theory

The price of technology comes down every year, year after year, and I see no immediate end in sight to that process. What this means is that the poorest people in the world will soon have the possibility to access the Internet in some form, and eventually will have 'ordinary' access to it.

Co-Founder of Wikipedia & Online Encyclopedia Pioneer

I think the biggest technological innovation that will impact Wikia – and the Internet more broadly – is the continuing progress we are seeing in reducing the costs of communication technology, such that it will reach the entire planet in relatively short order. Just think about what happens when the next billion people come online, and the next two billion after that.

Co-Founder of Wikipedia & Online Encyclopedia Pioneer

I think that inequality within societies and between regions has become a key cause for conflict, exacerbated by rapid information dissemination, as people are (now) more aware of inequalities.

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We are now living with a great deal of uncertainty, which will increase. As a society, though, we have to be prepared for threats we cannot conceive, we must build resilience not just in developed countries, but particularly in conflict areas.

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The fundamental starting point is to acknowledge that outside actors can rarely create peace, local ownership in resolving the conflicts is vital. You cannot import peace, it is created within society.

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Over 70% of the labour force in sub-Saharan Africa is involved in agriculture. This means the sector forms a lynch-pin of society.

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Over half the sub-Saharan African population is under 18 years old, versus Latin America, where over half the population is under 25 years old and Asia, where it is under 35 years old. These EM populations are young, expansive and dynamic.

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Globally, we have neglected this topic [agriculture] for decades. We have, worldwide, over a billion undernourished people. Food prices have risen over the past few years, with our own research showing these should accelerate up from 2010.

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There is a big black box of as-yet unimagined risk. Most of what now seem like the biggest risks to society were unknown one hundred years ago.

Philosopher & Director of Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford