We’re excited to share that the Compassionate Future Initiative is organising a 2025 Compassionate Future Summit, taking place 21–25 August near Berlin— with support from CLR, CRS, EA Funds and EA Germany. 

This participant-driven working and community weekend will bring together around 40 ambitious, international attendees and project representatives eager to reduce and prevent suffering long term.

The Summit builds on the success of the 2019 Suffering Focused Ethics (SFE) retreat in Switzerland. Our primary goal is to attract and nurture talent committed to fostering a more compassionate future. We’re inviting representatives from a range of international EA-aligned organisations to inspire the development of high-impact projects and career pathways.

🔔 March 2025 Update: Two Exceptional Guests Confirmed

We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome two remarkable guests whose work has transformed how we think about suffering, ethics, and our responsibilities in the world:

🎤 David Pearce – Keynote Speaker

British utilitarian philosopher and co-founder of Humanity+, David Pearce is among the most influential thinkers in suffering-focused ethics. His manifesto, The Hedonistic Imperative, lays out a bold vision for using science and technology to abolish suffering across all sentient life. In it, he argues that this goal is not only ethically urgent, but also technically feasible—through the responsible use of biotechnology and genetic engineering.

David’s idea of a “compassionate biosphere” challenges us to expand the boundaries of moral progress—and inspires bold, practical action to reduce suffering in humans and non-humans alike. We’re deeply honoured to host him.

🎬 Jack Hancock-Fairs – Special Guest

Widely known for his compelling YouTube channel Humane Hancock and podcast Humane Hangouts, viewed and listened to by millions, Jack Hancock-Fairs explores urgent topics such as animal ethics, veganism, and wild animal suffering. His work stands out for its rare blend of clarity, emotional depth, and disarming humour.

At the Summit, Jack will be sharing a glimpse of a deeply personal project he's been working on for a number of years.

🌱 Meanwhile, our content contribution calls with participants are in full swing. A wide range of talks, workshops, and collaborative sessions are taking shape, and we look forward to sharing a preview of the rich programme in the coming weeks.

🌱 Program and Focus Areas

The non-hierarchical program will feature a diverse mix of talks, workshops, and collaborative sessions led by all participants. Sessions will explore long-termist perspectives on:

• Global Health and Wellbeing - through a sentientist lens
• Global Peace and Conflict Resolution Strategies
• (Farmed and Wild) Animal Rights and Wellbeing
• Moral Philosophy and Moral Psychology - specific to Suffering-Focused Ethics (SFE)
• Artificial Intelligence - Risks, Opportunities and Interventions
   

🏡 Venue, Accommodation, and Catering

The event will be held in a bungalow village southeast of Berlin, just 200m from the Müggelsee tram stop. Nestled in a protected natural area, it offers direct access to the lake.

• All-vegan full-board catering
• Shared accommodation: 2- to 6-bed rooms in comfortable bungalows

⏳ Applications Now Open

There’s no formal application deadline, but spots are limited and filling quickly. If you’re considering joining us, we encourage you to apply soon.

Want to contribute or nominate someone?
We’re reaching out directly to project experts and collaborators, but also welcome proactive contact. If you’d like to present a project or suggest participants, please email us at: 📩 compassionate.future [at] gmail.com

🌍 Looking ahead:

If successful, we aim to make this an annual, rotating-continent summit to strengthen global cooperation and impact.