Essay by Yannick Scheidegger

The GESDA panel, The Cultural Frontiers of Science: Imagination, Influence, and Inclusion, placed human imagination at its centre. I chose to focus on this topic precisely because it lies outside my usual professional field of European geopolitics. Interestingly, however, many of the topics raised in the discussion directly resonated with Europe’s current challenges.

This is the value of good science communication. It opens up new intellectual spaces and allows people to form new connections. It encourages us to step outside our familiar fields of study and view problems from a different perspective.

One of the panellists, Dr Stefan Brandt, Director of the Futurium museum, for example, talked about his institution’s approach of not showing one perspective of the future, but many. This is why they refer to their museum as a museum of futures. Using the plural form reminds us that meaningful progress requires us to recognise the multiplicity of human imagination.

At Futurium, visitors are invited to share their hopes for the future. To date, around 700,000 people have done just that. This year, one wish dominated: peace. In light of the war in Ukraine and the resulting disruption to the European security order, this outcome shows a collective desire for a continent that seeks peace.

Another remark that has stayed with me is that imagination is our superpower. Albert Einstein made a similar point when he said that imagination is more important than knowledge because knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the whole world. In today’s security context, this idea feels particularly relevant. Europe is facing war on its borders, and the liberal, rules-based order is being eroded.  A system which, despite its flaws, aimed to promote cooperative coexistence.

In times of global change, imagination becomes indispensable. It helps us cope with uncertainty and, more importantly, allows us to transform it into agency. Periods of transformation are also moments in which we can question old assumptions and explore new possibilities.

At the Summit, several concrete scientific developments were highlighted that show why imagination must be paired with foresight. Advances in AI-assisted decision-making, quantum computing and participatory foresight models will transform how societies perceive risk and complexity. Although this panel discussion did not focus on a particular scientific development, I believe it was extremely useful in reminding us that humans are at the heart of all these developments. Ultimately, scientific developments are irrelevant if we lack the imagination to utilise them for our own benefit and well-being.

Used effectively, these developments can strengthen the resilience of democracies by helping governments and citizens understand the long-term consequences of their current decisions. But if we miss the opportunity to steer them in the right direction, they also carry risks such as widening the inequality gap between those who have access to foresight tools and those who do not, and the danger that technological progress outpaces democratic deliberation.

Preparing for this future requires three concrete steps. First, the relationship between science and society must be strengthened through transparent foresight platforms and more inclusive public dialogue. Second, education must prepare students to think critically, teaching them to foresee the positive and negative impacts of new technologies. Third, policymakers must integrate long-term thinking into policy making processes. Only by combining imagination with structured foresight can societies navigate the upcoming transformations.

The panel’s main message was that science must become more dialogical. People must feel engaged. Strategic capability emerges when citizens see themselves as co-authors of their future. Responsibility is both individual and collective.

When J. F. Kennedy announced to Congress in 1961 that the United States would land a man on the Moon and return him safely within the decade, the necessary technology did not yet exist. What did exist, however, was the will and imagination. Eight years later, on 21 July 1969, the first person set foot on the Moon.

Progress requires imagination, as well as the courage to think on a scale that initially seems unreasonable. In our current rudderless world, cultivating a shared imagination may be one of our most important strategic resources.

Perhaps this is the real significance of such panel discussions. They remind us of the potential of human creativity and how far humanity has already come. The challenge now is to approach the future with the same determination. After all, the future belongs to those who use their imagination as a tool to move us all forward.

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Yannick Scheidegger is a Policy Fellow at foraus and works as a Project and Research Officer at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP). He is the founder and editor of Geopolitically Correct, an online magazine for analysis on European geopolitics. Yannick holds a master’s degree in European Global Studies and a bachelor’s degree in history.

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At the 2025 GESDA Summit, emerging leaders from around the world joined global decision-makers in reflecting on the future of science, technology, and society. As the world’s leading platform for anticipatory science and diplomacy, GESDA Anticipation Summit convenes actors from science, government, philanthropy, industry, and civil society to explore how frontier science can be responsibly translated into global impact.

Held under the theme “The Age of Possibility: Science, Sovereignty, and Shared Futures,” the fifth edition of the Summit took place at a moment of geopolitical fragmentation and rapid scientific acceleration, raising critical questions about how emerging technologies can be governed in ways that benefit humanity as a whole.

As part of this dialogue, the GESDA Young Leaders  – a cohort of promising talents from diverse disciplines and regions – were invited to contribute their perspectives on the challenges and opportunities ahead.

In this new series of articles, they share their reflections on the scientific breakthroughs shaping our collective future and the role their generation can play in anticipating and governing them responsibly. We begin with the first contribution of the series, written by Renzo Lacida, Villars Institute.