Sentient Futures Fellowships are designed to be transformative experiences that equip participants with the knowledge, skills, and networks necessary to drive meaningful longterm progress for nonhuman welfare.

To ensure a productive learning environment, we are committed to fostering an intellectually rigorous culture that balances analytical precision with collaborative support. We designed our values and discussion norms to facilitate constructive discourse, encourage epistemic humility, and build a community united by our shared commitment to improving outcomes for all sentient beings.

🌟 Core values

Our learning environment is built upon the following foundational principles:

• Impact-oriented: We drive ourselves by the desire to promote positive and concrete outcomes for nonhuman welfare. All discussions, projects, and learning activities should ultimately contribute to this goal.
• Rigorous truth-seeking: We encourage genuine inquiry, analytical thinking, and reasoning based on principles and evidence. Participants should commit to being open to embracing new information, questioning existing assumptions, and remaining open to evolving their perspectives through deep engagement with complex ideas.
• Collaborative and respectful: We view the fellowship as a collective journey where every participant brings unique experiences and perspectives. Participants commit to active engagement, respectful exchange of ideas even when disagreeing, and helping one another succeed through empathetic and considerate dialogue.

💬 Discussion norms

These practical guidelines translate our core values into specific behaviors that create productive discussions:

🌱 How we learn together

• Stay curious: Champion your ideas AND stay open to changing your mind. Ask yourself: "What could convince me to think differently?"
• Make ideas accessible: Use plain language whenever possible. When technical terms are necessary, explain them first so everyone can follow along.

🤝 How we disagree

• Start with understanding: Before responding, make sure you truly understand what someone is saying. Ask questions if you're confused—others probably are too. Try restating their point to check you've got it right.
• Focus on ideas, not people: Critique the argument, not the person making it. When you disagree, explain why and offer alternatives. Skip any dismissive language.
• Assume the best: Remember that everyone here cares about nonhuman welfare and is trying their best.
• Strengthen, don't attack: Help others build better arguments (steel-manning) rather than tearing down weak versions (straw-manning).
• Aim for solutions: When you spot problems, suggest ways forward. We're collaborating to improve our ideas, not competing to be right.

🌈 How we include everyone

• Make space: Share your thoughts, but leave room for others to contribute too.
• Welcome differences: Different backgrounds, thinking styles, and approaches make our work stronger.
• Respect different needs: People process and communicate differently. If you need specific accommodations to participate fully, let facilitators know.
• Address disruptive behavior promptly: If someone's behavior makes you uncomfortable or unable to participate, tell a facilitator privately. We take all concerns seriously and handle them with care.

These norms help us build the supportive, rigorous community we need to drive real progress for all sentient beings.