The Compass Institute

The Compass Institute serves as a nexus at which thought leaders from various disciplines and faiths can learn from one another, mutually explore big ideas and tackle complex challenges together

We are particularly interested in exploring the foundational questions of existence, including the origins of consciousness, values and meaning. The answers to these questions can have profound effects on how we encounter the world and each other.

Interdisciplinary Conversations

We deeply value the role of science in our unfolding understanding of the world. And we believe bringing the scientific disciplines (physics, neuroscience, biology, etc) into conversation with philosophy, humanities and religion is essential to realizing the potential for human flourishing.

Inter-spiritual Conversations

We believe there is deep wisdom embedded in the world’s religious traditions. We believe in the importance of bringing religious traditions into conversation with each other, each with a fixed foot rooted in their own tradition but with an earnest willingness to dialogue and partner with others of good faith. We can be motivated by something Kristter Stendahl called “holy envy.” The Compass Institute is designed to be a true inter-spiritual space dedicated to circumscribing all truth into one great whole.

Initiatives

• Public Events.

  • Big Ideas Festival: A large, multi-day annual event at an iconic mountain venue where leading figures from the fields of science, arts/humanities and spirituality convene to tackle humanity’s biggest questions.

  • Campus community events: Campus events to communicate the work and results of the institute to university students. These are modest-sized events at distinguished universities.

• Publishing and Media. This includes YouTube shows/podcasts, written essays and articles and documentary film.