These slides were presented at the start of a London Futurists open discussion event on Tuesday 15th March 2022. In these slides, David Wood, Chair of London Futurists, provides answers to five questions about the "Vital Syllabus" project: Why?, Who?, What?, How?, and What's next? He also issued a call for collaboration and support of the project. For a recording of this presentation, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mea38ims1OQ

1. Tuesday 15th Mar, 7pm GMT
londonfuturists.com
The Vital Syllabus Plans and opportunities
Why?

2. Every serious discussion about significantly improving the future
turns into
a serious discussion
about the need to significantly improve education
“If what you say about disruptions ahead is correct…
then what should we be teaching our youngsters…
and what should we be learning / unlearning ourselves”?
“Where can we find reliable information and assistance
about the skills and principles that will matter most
in the 2020s and beyond?”

3. Six changes in society that education needs to prioritise
The Vital Syllabus, for the 2020s and beyond
Increased pace of
change – changes
that are challenging
to anticipate
Confidence lost
in traditional
moral and
ethical principles
Impending
ultra-diversity, with
a growing variety of
transhumans and AIs
Impending
“post-scarcity”, with
more and more goods
becoming abundant
Torrents of
irrationality and
destructive
tendencies
Impending state
of “post-work”
and self-
determination

4. Tuesday 15th Mar, 7pm GMT
londonfuturists.com
The Vital Syllabus Plans and opportunities
Who? What? How?

5. The uniqueness of the Vital Syllabus project
The special insights of the course designers about
1. The unprecedented transformational potential of emerging
technologies (nanotech, infotech, biotech, cognotech…)
2. The particular complications of the interaction of changes in
technology,
with changes in human expectations, human culture,
human social structures, and human narratives
3. The threats and opportunities faced by humanity that deserve the
most attention
4. The profound relevance of the worldview known as transhumanism
Improving the
practice of education
Improving the
future of humanity
“Landmines”
642 pages
942 footnotes
and “hidden treasures”

6. Vital Syllabus: gathering and highlighting resources
Acquire & deepen the most important general skills
Understand & embody the principles that matter most
Resources
Videos
Documents
1. Accessible: they are available without any payment or other obstacle
2. Clear: they are easy to understand
3. Engaging: they inspire and keep the attention of viewers
4. Precise: they address the syllabus topic, rather than lots of other questions
5. Authoritative: they have good reason to be trusted
londonfuturists.com/education
Your feedback requested, if existing resources fall short on these criteria
Feedback options:
• In this meeting
• Via email
• Via Slack

7. londonfuturists.com/education
Slack channel
Introductory videos
FAQ
Requirements
Roadmap of next steps
Skeleton resource pages
for each of the 24 areas
londonfuturists.com/education/vital-syllabus

8. Vital Syllabus: 24 top-level areas
• Learning how to learn
• Communications
• Agility (managing uncertainty)
• Creativity and exploration
• Augmentation
• Collaboration
• Emotional health
• Physical health
• Foresight (scenarios etc)
• Leading change
• Technologies (…NBIC+…)
• Economics and Business
• Governance (regulations++)
• Democracy and Superdemocracy
• Geopolitics
• Numeracy (exponentials etc)
• Science – Good, Bad, and Vital
• Philosophy and Values
• Transhumanism
• Culture – Diversity & Coexistence
• The environment
• Landmines and solutions
• The Singularity (AGI and beyond)
• Ultimate futures

9. Call for collaboration and creative partnerships
Your input is welcomed on
1. The resources (videos, docs) that should receive priority
recommendations in the Vital Syllabus
2. Resources that should be created, where needed,
to address gaps in existing material
3. Processes to review and validate resources that have been
suggested (quality control processes)
4. The overall structure of the content (areas & subareas)
5. The appropriate mix of evangelism and catalysis (diversity)
6. Ways in which the project can acquire greater impact
– the sooner, the better
Feedback options:
• In this meeting
• Via email
• Via Slack

10. Vital Syllabus: top-level areas
• Learning how to learn
• Communications
• Agility (managing uncertainty)
• Creativity and exploration
• Augmentation
• Collaboration
• Emotional health
• Physical health
• Foresight (scenarios etc)
• Leading change
• Technologies (…NBIC+…)
• Economics and Business
• Governance (regulations++)
• Democracy and Superdemocracy
• Geopolitics
• Numeracy (exponentials etc)
• Science – Good, Bad, and Vital
• Philosophy and Values
• Transhumanism
• Culture – Diversity & Coexistence
• The environment
• Landmines and solutions
• The Singularity (AGI and beyond)
• Ultimate futures
2
0
0
1
3
2
4
0
4
1
11
3
1
2
2
2
1
2
1
8
2
4
5
0
+ Overall introduction: 2 Total so far (12th March): 63 (5th March: 40)
(Number of videos
in each area, so far)

11. Tuesday 15th Mar, 7pm GMT
londonfuturists.com
The Vital Syllabus Plans and opportunities
What’s next? Goals Risks

12. Vital Syllabus: roadmap goals (ideas)
December 2023 (today + 20 months)
• The project will be endorsed by 12+ major universities / newspapers
• Official recommendation by UNESCO
• At least 5000 active regular users of the site
• Scalable financial sustainability
December 2022 (today + 8 months)
• At least 100 active regular users of the site
• At least 20 active regular contributors to the site
• All c. 200 syllabus sub-areas feature at least some excellent material
April 2022 (today + 1 month)
• All 24 syllabus pages feature at least some excellent material
• Core team of 6+ (?) collaborating well

13. Vital Syllabus: risks and opportunities (1/2)
No sense of progress
Need for a roadmap of intermediate deliverables – and clear, useful metrics
Regular communications about progress made – and areas where more help would be welcomed
Good material is drowned out by material of lower quality (signal lost in the noise)
Need to conduct continuous reviews and to establish clear standards
Material of greater importance is drowned out by material of lesser importance
Need to conduct continuous reviews and to establish key standards
A bottleneck obstructs the flow of good material into the project
Apply the agile discipline of regular project retrospectives (the first one is this meeting, today),
and to take time when needed to update the project architecture and processes
Material is produced but there is little engagement from potential users
Need for analytics for insight about actual engagement, and for skilled marketing and communications
Confusion over relations with other projects
Need for clarity about potential partnerships and alliances
Keep it vital!

14. Vital Syllabus: risks and opportunities (2/2)
Potential users fail to find value in the site
• Compelling answers to questions that they already have in mind
• A positive, credible vision for how a significantly better future can be attained
• Enjoyment and inner satisfaction,
as they gradually develop a sense of mastery of key skills and principles
• Material which they can repurpose for their own projects,
including teaching their own students
Potential contributors fail to engage in the project
• An understanding of the critical importance of the project
• An expectation that momentum can build, as more people become involved
• An appreciation that there are ways in which they, as individuals,
can make valuable contributions
• A desire to make an active substantial difference to the future of the world