Released in 2021, Eureka Manifesto: The Mission for Our Civilisation is a short book by Giving Pledge signatory and Tech For Refugees founder Yuri Milner. The book sets forth a grand mission for humanity: to explore and understand our Universe. Milner argues that, if we pursue the mission, we can guarantee a thriving future for our civilisation.
It’s not just the great scientists and engineers who will drive our understanding and exploration of the Universe. We can all play a part in advancing this mission. Milner believes we can usher in the next frontier of human achievement by implementing the following plan of action:
- Invest resources into fundamental science and space exploration.
- Enable artificial intelligence (AI) to drive scientific progress.
- Celebrate scientists as heroes.
- Focus education on the Universal Story and use the power of art to tell it.
- Spark a new enlightenment in which everyone can contribute to a shared culture of knowledge.
1. Invest Resources Into Fundamental Science and Space Exploration
Fundamental science, or pure science, advances our understanding of the Universe through scientific theories. These theories provide essential insights into the underlying principles governing our world. Milner calls fundamental science “the most fertile ground for transformative discoveries and technologies.”
Notable fundamental science topics include the Big Bang theory, the Higgs boson particle, and space exploration. Milner believes that greater funding into space exploration especially can accelerate our progress to becoming a spacefaring civilisation.
Milner has invested over $200 million into his own pioneering space science programmes, the Breakthrough Initiatives. The programmes investigate the deepest questions of the cosmos, such as whether there’s life on other planets.
2. Enable AI to Drive Scientific Progress
In addition to increased funding, Milner proposes that we direct more AI capabilities towards fundamental research. He believes “the immense potential of [AI] can power dramatic, perhaps transformational progress” on the questions science has yet to answer.
However, Milner cautions that we should direct AI’s enormous potential towards the mission “while we still have control over it.” Today’s key players in AI innovation can contribute to the next, crucial stage of our mission by “building a mind that explores and understands.”
3. Celebrate Scientists as Heroes
Brilliant thinkers like Archimedes, Marie Curie, and Albert Einstein have forever changed our understanding of the Universe. Milner believes we should celebrate scientists as heroes and reward today’s greatest researchers with the financial and cultural recognition they deserve.
Milner co-founded the Breakthrough Prize in 2012 to raise the profile and prestige of notable mathematicians, life scientists, and fundamental physicists.
Each year, a globally broadcast gala award ceremony known as the “Oscars of Science” honours Breakthrough Prize winners. The event helps elevate scientists to the same level of fame as A-list film stars and prominent entrepreneurs. As a result, the Breakthrough Prize inspires the next generation to follow in its laureates’ footsteps.
4. Focus Education on the Universal Story
Starting with the Big Bang and continuing today, the Universal Story is the “story of everything.” Milner believes the Universal Story offers a more holistic alternative to the fragmented, hyper-specialised educational approach many students experience.
Milner suggests that educators use art to help students grasp the grand concepts of the Universal Story and our shared mission. Additionally, music, books, films, and other forms of storytelling can help people connect with the Universal Story long after they leave school.
The epic nature of the Universal Story can also motivate young people to contribute to the mission. To encourage young people to engage with scientific ideas, Milner launched the Breakthrough Junior Challenge in 2015. The annual competition challenges the world’s students to explain a vital yet complex scientific theory in a short, creative video.
5. Spark A New Enlightenment
Only a few bright minds will make the major discoveries that accelerate our understanding of the Universe. However, we can all help to create the conditions for such advances to take place.
Milner believes we can kindle a new Enlightenment “by working to build a society that values knowledge, rational argument, and critical thinking.” A culture that celebrates intellectual curiosity and the open exchange of ideas can bring us closer to the next frontier of human achievement.