Outgrowing Modernity

Praise

“Vanessa Machado de Oliveira is one of the wisest minds on this planet…. She frames a roadmap, at once prophetic and intricate, toward a generative future for our species, in kinship with every form of life and intelligence—including a truly original proposal of relationship with technology and AI. This book is a moral, intellectual, and spiritual masterpiece.”
—Krista Tippett, Peabody Award–winning broadcaster, National Humanities Medalist, and founder of The On Being Project and podcast

“A civilizational coming-of-age book. Fragile egos beware…. A companion and a guide for those seeking to re-embed into the ecological matrix, and indeed, the living cosmos itself.”
—Alnoor Ladha, coauthor of Post Capitalist Philanthropy

“This is a book for those that long to step into service, those done with throwing up, throwing a tantrum, or throwing in the towel. Come play with us!”
—Amit Paul, host of the World of Wisdom podcast, entrepreneur, and performer

“This book doesn’t just challenge—it transforms. It is a deeply wise and essential guide for times of global upheaval.”
—Steffi Bednarek, director of the Centre for Climate Psychology and editor of Climate, Psychology, and Change

“Machado de Oliveira is going to shake you up with this book…. This is the beginning of a new pedagogical project for dealing with the challenge of living in the wake of modernity’s devastation.”
—Crain Soudien, PhD, professor and former deputy vice-chancellor at the University of Cape

“If the status quo was as intelligent and as responsive as its popular portrayals, it should designate this book contraband—which is why I most heartily recommend it.”
—Báyò Akómoláfé, PhD, professor of American studies and author of These Wilds Beyond our Fences

“A must-read for anyone grappling with the intersections of climate change, systemic injustice, and the human spirit.”
—Frank J. Miles, pandisciplinary visual artist, artistic philosopher, and social sculptor

“The challenging reflection this book encourages makes it a must-read for all who love and fear for the earth’s future. Convince your book club to read it!”
—Rieky Stuart, Climate Legacy and Seniors for Climate

“Outgrowing Modernity posits a fundamental demand in the form of a question. ‘Can we change?’ And, even in that, gently places choice amid inevitability.”
—Wendi S. Williams, PhD, psychologist, educator, advocate, and thought leader

“The chapter on AI is particularly a breath of fresh air…. AI is aptly described as a new paradigm where the relationship between natural and artificial intelligence is augmented into a new form of wide-boundary intelligence so highly needed for the challenges of our time.”
—Hossein Rezai, PhD, global design director at Ramboll and Milan Research Lab

“[This book] offers the support we need so much as we weave sobriety, maturity, discernment, and responsibility into the intricacies of this unfolding dance—life.”
—Kumi Naidoo and Louisa Zondo, directors of the Riky Rick Foundation for the Promotion of Artivism

“This book is a long stewed, deeply metabolized translation of Vanessa’s inherently swirling perception of the realm of symbiotic living processes—into language, and beyond language…. I can feel the long work here, and I am so grateful.”
—Nora Bateson, filmmaker, artist, founder of the Bateson Institute, and author of Combining