In a world often defined by scarcity – of resources, opportunities, and vision – this year’s edition of the Rhodes Forum on Technology & Society invites us to reimagine abundance on a global scale.
How can society move beyond zero-sum thinking to create a future where prosperity, sustainability, and human potential are not constrained but expanded? Building on last year’s conversations on envisioning the future through a more positive lens, this convening will bring together thought leaders, technologists, policymakers, and change-makers from across the globe to explore the conditions that enable abundance – and the barriers that prevent it.
But, what is Abundance?
At its core, abundance is the belief that we can build a world where there is enough housing, healthcare, clean energy, infrastructure, and opportunity for everyone to lead better lives. It is the state in which there is enough of what we need to create lives better than what we have had. This framing asks us to move beyond scarcity-driven thinking, where caution, bureaucracy, and limited resources shape our collective choices, and instead imagine a future centred on bold action, inclusive innovation, and societal well-being.
These ideas have emerged primarily from American contexts, recently gaining traction through the work of Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson. Can such a vision be meaningfully extended to the rest of the world? What would abundance look like in developing economies or in communities where systemic inequalities persist? And perhaps most importantly: Is abundance even the right goal?
At the 2025 Rhodes Forum on Technology & Society, we invite you to grapple with these questions. This is your space to think critically, challenge prevailing assumptions, and shape your own vision of the future!