Project Vision 21

Less than a century ago, Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget was among the first researchers to determine that children are not less intelligent than adults; rather, they are in a distinct stage of cognitive development. As they progress through this development, children acquire greater abilities to understand reality, the world, and society.

Based on what little I’ve read about advancements in cognitive sciences and recent philosophical and theological proposals, I believe that we, as adults, are stuck in our own stage of cognitive development—almost like young children who confuse size with quantity or weight with volume. However, in our case, the issue is both tragic and dangerous.

According to Piaget, early thinking is dominated by a focus on a single aspect of a situation, by perceptual dominance, and by perspectives limited by the egocentrism inherent in an age where the child depends on adults and, therefore, seeks to capture their attention.

Reviewing the elements of the so-called preoperational stage of cognitive development, it is saddening to see that these same elements now dominate the psychological state of much of humanity. This is a humanity in which certain aspects of cognitive development either never fully emerge or do so inconsistently or inadequately, constrained by cultural or environmental factors.

For instance, according to Piaget, children under the age of seven are generally unable to recognize that rearranging objects in a set does not change their quantity. This is because they lack the ability to mentally reverse the action (reversibility) or to consider multiple aspects of a situation simultaneously (decentration).

Similarly, many adults struggle with complex systems thinking—the ability to perceive and integrate multiple layers of complexity without resorting to oversimplification. This may represent a latent cognitive ability that remains underdeveloped.

Moreover, accepting and navigating ambiguous or contradictory information without needing immediate resolution may be another cognitive capacity that is still nascent for most people.

Just as the “conservation of number” in early childhood focuses on the spatial arrangement of objects, the “conservation of time” in adults might involve understanding that certain processes or truths are not bound to immediate perceptions or results. This understanding is essential for long-term thinking and foresight.

Many philosophers and thinkers have long explored the idea that humanity is still in development. Friedrich Nietzsche described humans as a “bridge” toward greater potential, while Teilhard de Chardin envisioned a collective consciousness (noosphere) as the next stage of human evolution. Even Carl Jung suggested that humanity’s struggles reflect “unexamined shadows.”

Our technological achievements also highlight our immaturity: we wield powerful tools, like artificial intelligence, to amplify existing problems rather than solve them.

Seeing humanity as immature, however, is not a condemnation—it’s an opportunity. Recognizing our immaturity is the first step toward creating a future where humanity reaches its full potential and highest aspirations.

As individuals and as a collective, we are becoming. Growth is not just possible—it is inevitable when we recognize the opportunity within our challenges as an opportunity to grow, to learn, and to coevolve.