We live in a moment of extraordinary change, a moment without historical precedent. A hallmark of this moment is the increasing consciousness that humankind is a single people inhabiting a single planetary home. This age of transition calls for fundamental changes—not just to policies and socio-economic structures, but at the level of thought itself. The assumptions that have governed modern life are no longer adequate to the world we now inhabit: a world bound together by shared ecologies, economies, and fates, yet still governed by ideas that treat separateness as fundamental. The Center on Modernity in Transition (COMIT) exists to help build the intellectual foundations this moment requires.
At the heart of COMIT's research program is the principle of human oneness, which views the diversity of human perspectives and experiences not as obstacles, but as essential contributors to humanity's collective well-being and progress. Far from contradicting the concept of diversity, our notion of human oneness contains and expresses it.
We regard the tumultuous upheavals of contemporary society as catalysts for developing ways of thinking that more adequately reflect the oneness of humankind. Toward this end, we challenge the dichotomies that have come to characterize modern thought—between the unity and diversity of human beings, between human prosperity and ecological flourishing, between scientific advancement and the spiritual heritage of humankind.
We pursue this aim through four interconnected activities: public conversations and speaker series that open COMIT's inquiries to broader audiences; workshops and seminars where scholars engage in deep collaborative exploration; publishing through Pivot Press, which gives emerging frameworks durable and freely accessible form; and fellowships and PhD academies that accompany early-career scholars developing work grounded in the principle of human oneness. Together, these cultivate a community of inquiry oriented toward the intellectual transformation this age demands.
We invite you to connect with us through our newsletter or directly at info@comitresearch.org.
What distinguishes COMIT is not only what we study but how. A research program grounded in human oneness must coherently express the principle throughout its whole pattern of its inquiry. For COMIT, inquiry shaped by the oneness of humankind requires three mutually reinforcing elements: a coherent conceptual core–a shared set of questions and concepts that allow insights from one project to illuminate others; a consultative methodology–a process of dialogue in which participants seek truth together, offering their ideas as contributions to a shared inquiry rather than positions to defend, in an atmosphere of mutual trust, frankness, and genuine openness; and the deliberate cultivation of conditions that make genuine insight possible–the quality of relationships, the atmosphere of a gathering, and an environment that allows people to think honestly and openly. Learn more about our methods and approach.
