Over eight billion people now live on Earth. Despite all wars and separatist ideologies, the economy functions, especially as a global economy. However, as long as the economy is not effectively regulated globally, capital can be parked in low-tax countries with little consequence, while labor remains relatively immobile – a reason for structural social inequality on Earth. Added to this are other existential challenges facing humanity, such as the rapidly worsening climate crisis and the largely uncontrolled development of artificial intelligence – just a few of the many areas where general welfare requires effective global coordination.

In light of this, the existing forms of political and social identity formation are no longer sufficient: While we still need personal, familial, communal, regional, and national identities, we humans must also learn to perceive and coordinate ourselves as a single entity. Since mutual respect, grounded in shared responsibility, becomes central to this, the project of civic learning for humanity emerges. Only when this project progresses will the chances increase for humanity to survive in a fair coexistence—a fundamental alternative to the narrow-minded, unilateralist thinking of Trump & Co., to wars of aggression, fundamentalism, and fascism.