ETH Global Lecture Series

Chris Luebkeman, Head of Foresight at ETH Zurich, cordially invites you to join him for a special edition of the Global Lecture Series on his last day before retiring from ETH Zurich:

CHOICES

past. present. future.

Each of us is a walking archive of choices; some we made with clear intent, some we stumbled into, and many were made for us long before we had a vote. We inherit decisions through family, culture, education, geography, and luck. Then we add our own: the doors we walk through, the risks we take, the people we choose to stand beside, and the moments when we decide to begin again. And the strange truth is this: our choices don’t just shape our lives, they shape other people’s options. Every decision is a small act of world-building, nudging the future toward one set of possibilities and away from another.

Over the past 65 years I’ve learned that foresight isn’t fortune-telling. It’s a discipline of attention. It’s the courage to look honestly at what is emerging, to notice weak signals before they become obvious, to hold uncertainty without panicking, and to make choices that keep more good futures alive. That’s why I’ve come to think of myself as a bridge builder: between disciplines, generations, sectors, and worldviews; between what we know and what we sense; between the present we’re living and the future we’re quietly creating. I’m grateful for the connections I’ve been able to craft, and for the teachers, some gentle, some less so, who helped shape my path.

So this “final” lecture isn’t a conclusion. It’s a conversation about a journey of choices: what I thought mattered, what actually mattered, what surprised me, and what I hope you will carry forward. Because the future isn’t a place we arrive at. It’s a place we practice into existence, one choice at a time.