Episode 169 - We are called to a major human evolution with Dr Thomas Legrand

In this episode, I talk to Thomas Legrand who is a wisdom’s seeker, living in France next to Plum Village, the monastery of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. Thomas has a PhD in economics and he works in the field of sustainability for UN agencies, NGOs and companies.

We discussed his new book Politics of being Thomas explained how he researched what wisdom traditions, in dialogue with science, can tell us about how to design a new model of development because the old one is broken.

This wisdom-based approach to politics offers a coherent vision across many different traditions and resonate with current emerging reflections. It puts human fulfillment at the center of our development efforts. In the 21st century, Thomas argues that this should now be the fulfillment of all living beings, including non-humans (plants, animals, ecosystems, mother earth, etc.). Human fulfillment is the realization of our full potential: our highest and truest being. Our highest being refers to the development of inner values, virtues, or qualities, while our truest being relates to the process of becoming who we really are. They both converge in the manifestation of our true interbeing or relational nature.

The politics of being conceptualization allows to identify an agenda for action with clear priorities and many concrete public policies in all sectors that can embody such politics and bring about the cultural evolution – as well as the human, social and environmental regeneration – we need.