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​What drives social change? Why do the arts and humanities matter more than ever? And how do we become "good ancestors"?

​--> Join Henrietta Moore and Christopher Smith, moderated by Anna Vignoles, to explore how societies imagine and build better futures.

​Henrietta Moore is Founder and Director of the UCL Institute for Global Prosperity and Chair of Culture, Philosophy and Design at University College London; Christopher Smith is the Executive Chair of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), UKRI. EXPeditions is bringing them together for a special online event, moderated by Anna Vignoles (The Leverhulme Trust), on the role of imagination, creativity and the humanities in shaping social change. How do societies imagine a better future? explores why crossing disciplinary boundaries — and placing human values at the centre of knowledge — is essential to building resilient, inclusive societies in an age of technological and environmental transformation.

​THE CONVERSATIONS

1. ​Driving Social Change: How Societies Reinvent Themselves

   • ​What actually drives social change — and why is imagination a prerequisite for it?

   • ​Explores: what drives social change · why imagination is a prerequisite for transformation · diversity, citizens and alternative ways of thinking as engines of change.

     • ​Speaker: Henrietta Moore.

2. ​Arts and Humanities for Public Good

   • ​Can science and innovation stay ethical and inclusive without the humanities?

   • ​Explores: how history, anthropology and the humanities help societies navigate change · why science and innovation need human perspectives · critical thinking, creativity and resilience as future capabilities.

     • ​Speaker: Christopher Smith.

3. ​Building Better Futures Together

   • ​What does it take to become a 'good ancestor'?

   • ​Explores: how research can contribute to the public good · what social contract we need between universities, science and society · imagining institutions and communities that enable lasting change.

     • ​Both speakers

4. ​Audience Q&A

​THE SPEAKERS

• ​Henrietta L. Moore — Founder and Director, UCL Institute for Global Prosperity; Chair of Culture, Philosophy and Design, University College London.

• ​Christopher Smith — Executive Chair, Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), UKRI.

• ​Anna Vignoles CBE FBA — Director of the Leverhulme Trust (moderator).