Pathways Symposia
The Garrison Institute convenes and hosts by-invitation Pathways symposia gathering visionaries and experts in key fields from around the world and all walks of life. In 2018, we held the first Pathways symposium on Ecological Civilization, exploring new ethical frameworks for planetary health.
The second Pathways symposium was held early March 2020, entitled “Ethics in the Age of the Anthropocene.” It was conceived as a search for a contemporary ethics of the common good, shared well-being, and societal mutuality. It assembled more than 50 leading practitioners of applied ecology, conservation, impact investing, and sustainable business together with scientists, ethicists, journalists, meditation teachers, Native American elders, philosophers, physicians, researchers, students, theologians, and writers. Click here or on the 2020 report cover at right to read the proceedings of that symposium.
The third Pathways symposium was held in March 2023 and focused on “The Commons and the Common Good.” This event gathered a diverse group of about 75 thought leaders, including scientists, indigenous teachers, public sector leaders, impact investors, researchers, and on-the-ground change makers. The symposium sought to define the ways in which the concepts of the commons and the common good could provide coherent grounding amidst chaotic times marked by climate change, biodiversity loss, injustice, and racism.
The symposium sought to envision what it would take – and learn from what is already unfolding – to shift mindsets towards the commons and design economic and social systems based on relationship and mutuality. Read the summary report from our 2023 symposium here, or click on the 2023 report cover above.