What is UTT ?

UTT [Understanding the times] is a collaborative project, bringing together research, social trends, and academic writing from the last three decades and beyond, asking pertinent questions.

Join us in a dialogue.

We have an obligation to make sense of the world in the 2020s. This is both for the common good and for our personal understanding. What insights and wisdom can we gain from the wealth of information around us?

Space to discuss openly is essential. This can help inform leadership, navigate us through unchartered waters, and guide actions at local, national, and international levels. Deepening global crises see a destabilised climatic system, mounting geopolitical tensions, migration, inequality, and human rights’ issues all intensifying.

Can we find wisdom, in our web-dominated ways?

A willingness to share, listen, and understand, alongside buoyancy, creativity, and diplomacy, have never been more pressing. Nor have the opportunities for propagating ingenuity. Ancient writings state that, “those who have insight, will give understanding to the many”. UTT aims to promote discussion, maturity in thought, reflection rather than reaction, and a sense of social cohesion. UTT seeks to counterbalance narrow echo-chambers and polarisation.

We have chosen a scheme of four main thematic areas:

Geopolitical

International affairs have been shaped by historical, cultural and geographical factors. These include physical landscapes, the competition for resources, demography, economic systems, and the dynamics of power, conflict, and resolution. Geopolitics is once again on the rise, brokering the demands of climate, nature, population pressure, and international accord. Can we hold them all together?

Digital

Science, technology, and AI are formed around a mathematical understanding of the world. Digital evolution and practices raise significant questions for life in the 2020s. These are issues shaping humanity. As we participate in 24/7 communication and contribute to global knowledge doubling daily, how can we gain wisdom and influence the path ahead?

Cultural

Ideologies and social trends have formed a tapestry of culturally diverse societies. We risk abandoning our roots and the Arts, at a high price. Despite multiculturalism, homogenisation is rife. Are we becoming unhinged from our cultural foundations, and eroding vital forms of social cohesion?

Prophetic

Where is the prophetic voice in current times? Who owns this voice and speaks with authority? The assertions of faith seem to sit uncomfortably alongside those of secular society, with their competing projections and followers. Is there space for faith within modern-day conversations, and ultimately, can we know what the future holds?