Existential hope

Existential hope refers to the prospect of transformative developments that significantly enhance humanity's potential. It serves as a conceptual counterpart to existential risk, which denotes threats that could lead to human extinction or irrevocably limit humanity's future possibilities.

Definition and origin

The term "existential hope" was introduced by researchers Owen Cotton-Barratt and Toby Ord in a 2015 report from the Future of Humanity Institute.^[1] They described it as "the chance of something extremely good happening," and proposed the concept of an "existential eucatastrophe"—an event that increases humanity's long-term expected value to a large degree.^[1]

Contemporary usage

Since its introduction, the concept of existential hope has been explored by scholars and institutions involved in futures studies, technological ethics, and longtermist strategy. The nonprofit Foresight Institute introduced a project titled "Existential Hope," which curates resources and discussions focused on envisioning highly positive long-term futures.^[2]

Science journalist Richard Fisher has discussed the concept in the context of long-term thinking. In an article for Big Think, he argues that existential hope involves preparing for opportunities to improve the world, rather than utopian idealism.^[3]

In academic literature, anthropologist Beth Singler has analyzed existential hope and existential despair as narrative frameworks in transhumanist and AI-apocalyptic discourse, emphasizing their cultural and psychological significance.^[4]

In 2025, Cambridge University researcher Simon Beard published a monograph on the topic, arguing that existential hope is essential for fostering long-term human flourishing in the face of global risks.^[5]

Related terms

• Existential risk
• Technological utopianism