As permacrisis sets in, systems across the board are showing signs of collapse. Healthcare, social care, education, politics, economics and more – the way we organise ourselves in life and at work all urgently need reimagination. 

The technology sector’s propaganda machine lauds AI as the obvious solution to pretty much everything. Meanwhile, carbon capture and storage will clean the atmosphere of greenhouse gases, nuclear fusion will create untold power reserves and if all else fails, space exploration will permit us to start new civilisations on far-flung planets.

Wherever you look, organisations are in thrall to the notion that science holds the answer to our most pressing challenges.

In her latest book, acclaimed author Margaret Heffernan makes the compelling case that it’s in fact the arts that have the most to offer us about problem-solving, innovation, experimentation and adaptation. It’s in the arts that ideation and imagination, wayfinding and risk-taking are most manifest. Practicing art of any type teaches us to be courageous and faithful, to persistently explore our hunches and convictions.

Alongside extolling the myriad virtues of the arts and humanities, Embracing Uncertainty also decries the extent to which these vital skillsets have been defunded and deprioritised in many Western countries in recent years.

It’s beyond tragic that at the exact point in history where we most need to find solutions to our wickedest problems, we have a dearth of creativity and imagination. Embracing Uncertainty is a much-needed and overdue manifesto.