Rationale

Analysis of recent events and available evidence suggests that it is neither unreasonable nor alarmist to conclude that we are placing ourselves at increasing risk of causing negative and potentially irreversible consequences for humanity and our planet. As such, a critical mass of the world's population must come to understand that the actions, practices, and policies of individuals, groups, organizations, governments, and societies are mediated by beliefs and values that may be highly subjective, non-conscious, and self-serving rather than just, equitable, rational, and sustainable. Such understanding must be sufficiently achieved in the near future by a substantial proportion of the world's population - as well as those who are in positions of relative power and influence - and subsequently translated into relevant actions, practices, and policies. To accomplish these goals, the international academic community-in concert with allied individuals and organizations in the public and private sectors - must become much more proactive and deliberate, in order to organize and direct its vast analytic capacity toward an understanding of these real world issues, and subsequently translate what we discover and assemble into terms that can be readily apprehended by the academy, policy makers, and the public at large.

Toward these ends, and more specifically, the International Beliefs and Values Institute maintains that we must establish a more just, equitable, rational, and sustainable world order, in which:

  1. conflicts can be resolved through dialogue, reason, mutual understanding, and reconciliation;
  2. human and minority rights are demonstrably respected and protected;
  3. the ecosystem and natural resources upon which life depends are secured and preserved;
  4. individuals and groups are neither persecuted nor denied equal access to education or social, legal, political, and economic resources for arbitrary and capricious reasons (e.g., of ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, political views, religious faith or lack thereof, social and economic status, or family lineage);
  5. educational systems deliberately expose students of all ages to the perspectives and experiences of individuals, groups, and cultures around the world; and
  6. tolerance and understanding supplant hatred and violence in matters of cultural difference and religious faith.