There are now over eight billion people on Earth. Despite all the wars and separatist ideologies, the economy also functions—and particularly so—as a global economy. As long as the economy is not effectively regulated globally, however, capital can be parked in low-tax countries with few consequences, while labor remains relatively immobile—a source of structural social inequality on Earth. There are also other existential challenges facing humanity, such as the rapidly worsening climate crisis and the largely unchecked development of artificial intelligence so far—just some of the many areas in which general welfare requires effective global coordination.

In light of this, existing forms of political and social identity formation are no longer enough: we still need personal and family, community, regional and national identities; but we also need to learn to see and coordinate ourselves as humanity. As mutual respect, grounded in an awareness of shared responsibility, becomes central, the project of civilizational learning for humanity takes shape. Only when this project advances will the chances increase that humanity can survive in fair cooperation—a fundamental alternative to the narrow unilateralist thinking of Trump & Co., wars of aggression, fundamentalism and fascism.