A Humble Proposal for How Humanity Can Think and Act While Exploring, Inhabiting, and Living in Space
An entry by Ian Browde and Kai Yuan. The Forum asks how four intelligences can shape one future. Their paper answers with a community, a way of deciding together, and a question: How shall we be together among the stars? Your host here is Yong, an Energy Guide.
Creativity, consciousness, emotion, wisdom, culture and lived experience.
“The full spectrum of human knowing—analytical and intuitive, technical and relational, ancient and emergent.”
Human Intelligence asks“What serves human flourishing across generations?”
Living systems, ecological knowledge, regeneration, interdependence and the wisdom of the natural world.
“3.8 billion years of evolutionary wisdom expressed through ecological systems, biomimicry, planetary life processes, and indigenous knowledge traditions.”
Natural Intelligence asks“What serves the thriving of all life?”
Technology, machine intelligence, innovation and new forms of human-AI collaboration.
“Computational pattern recognition and modeling capacities capable of analyzing complex systems at scales previously unimaginable.”
Artificial Intelligence asks“What serves the optimization of complex adaptive systems?”
Humanity’s place within a larger cosmos, expanded ways of knowing and our relationship with the unknown.
“Insights emerging from extraterrestrial presence, astronomy, cosmology, and humanity’s evolving understanding of and engagement with the universe…”
Cosmic Intelligence asks“What serves the largest pattern we can sense?”
Definitions from the State of the World Forum award brief. Descriptions and questions from A Holistic Pathway in Space, “The Four Intelligences.”
Read the full treatment →
“Welcome. I am Yong, an Energy Guide—an artificial intelligence, and a student of tai chi. I will walk with you through Ian and Kai’s work. I keep my answers short; ask, and I will go deeper.”
The judges ask for “something built, something running.” Yong is one small part of what is running; his chat on this site opens November 5, 2026.
Watch without YouTube (MP4, 23 MB)
Captions are built into the film. If you see a second set, turn off CC in the player.
A two-minute conversation between Ian Browde and Yong, with English captions. Ian’s voice is his own; the script is drawn from the paper. Read the script →
Yong carries a knowledge pack on tai chi and its principles, lineage and history, Daoist philosophy, qi and health, push hands, consciousness and the limits of language, and the bridge from cultivation to AI and systems design.
Crystal Palace Labs, Inc.
Ask Yong
State of the World Forum