A Future of Symbiosis and Coexistence: What Is Symbiosis, and Why Should We Want It?

The Berggruen Institute advocates leveraging Eastern and Western resources to explore and unearth the holistic interests that support all of humankind and our environment, as well as concepts and plans for a future replete with symbiosis and coexistence. From exploring the essence of cognition and intelligence to an open and diverse “Tianxia” view with relational rationality, we hope to gain a thorough understanding of the fundamental thinking of modern civilizations and prepare for an inclusive, peaceful, prosperous future of ubiquitous interconnectedness. Starting this year, we have begun a series of events under the theme “Facing a future of symbiosis and coexistence: from natural philosophy to planetary governance,” which aims to explore what symbiosis and coexistence mean and what value they serve to our current epoch in a multidisciplinary—covering philosophy, sociology, economics, global governance, and other fields—and multidimensional way.

From August to October in 2021, the Berggruen Institute China Center held two forums, inviting thinkers from the fields of biology, ecology, Chinese philosophy, and philosophy of science and technology. By integrating their research objectives, these scholars reported and shared ideas on the phenomena, implications, and extensions of symbiosis in a multifaceted, interdisciplinary manner, tying together the scientific facts, evolutionary logic, philosophical connotations, and ideological resources of symbiosis, thus bringing to light many worthwhile issues for further exploration and consideration. It could be said that we are still far from realizing just how extensive our interconnectedness is; truly understanding this fact will go a long way in changing the world.