From Science to Moral Imagination: The Journey to Unlock our Creative Potential

Phoebe Tickell is a renegade scientist, systems thinker, and social entrepreneur that sums up her approach to life as an ‘imagination activist’. She has dedicated her work to empowering individuals and organizations to envision and manifest a more sustainable, equitable, and life-centric future. 

After grappling with the limitations of traditional scientific approaches in addressing societal issues—particularly in the realm of environmental conservation—Phoebe shifted her focus to exploring the realms of perception, creativity, and collective action, becoming a leading voice in the moral imagination movement

Transcending the World of Science and Tech

Phoebe’s journey from the world of science and technology to the field of moral imagination has been driven by a deep desire to address societal issues at a more fundamental level. As a biologist, Phoebe had dedicated her career to making a tangible impact, but she soon found herself grappling with the limitations of traditional scientific approaches.“I started asking questions that were actually far bigger than what science could answer,” she explains. These questions revolved around the decision-making processes that determined the focus of scientific research, prompting her to delve deeper into the underlying systems and structures shaping the world around her.

Phoebe realized that even if the scientific community had all the necessary knowledge and technology, many of the pressing issues facing society, such as homelessness, ecological destruction, and poverty, would still persist. “Suddenly I felt like what I was doing was completely useless,” she says. This pivotal moment marked a turning point, propelling Phoebe to shift her focus to the realms of governance, organizational design, and the very foundations of human perception and imagination. 

“I knew that I had to try, I had to find another way to spend my living and working hours, because suddenly I just saw through the scientific paradigm and this kind of industrial scientific complex.” 

Her journey led her to explore how the way we perceive the world shapes the actions we take, and ultimately, the future we create.

Phoebe’s background as a biological scientist has provided her with a deep understanding of the interconnectedness of natural systems, which she now applies to the social and organizational realms. “I think when we prioritize rationality and only strategic, top-down thinking, we silence that inner knowing–which is actually not even ours–that’s actually a much larger intelligence that is exercising itself through us,” she reflects.

By shifting her focus to the realms of moral imagination, Phoebe has become a leading voice in the movement to empower individuals and organizations to envision and manifest a more sustainable, equitable, and life-centric future.

Creating Environments that Nurture Imagination

At the heart of her work lies the belief that our issues often stem from the way we perceive the world. This led her to explore the critical role of creativity and imagination in shaping the future, and how organizations can foster these essential qualities.

“Imagination is like a kind of exotic plant, or, it’s like it’s a living being. It’s a living thing, and you can imagine it as a vine or a plant that flourishes in a certain kind of soil and a certain kind of humidity,” Phoebe explains. “Currently, our office sculptures are the equivalent of a concrete brick building. You don’t have anything living growing on these buildings.”

To nurture this “living plant” of imagination, Phoebe emphasizes the importance of creating work environments that foster psychological safety, non-hierarchical structures, and interventions that integrate art and creativity into leadership and decision-making. “If you have a really hierarchical environment where you have to do exactly what you’re told, and there’s very little space for you to exercise your own self-leadership, there’s going to be very little space to actually practice being imaginative, thinking differently and feeling safe enough to do that,” she explains.

Phoebe’s approach to cultivating imagination-friendly work environments involves a combination of “second-order effects,” such as building psychological safety and horizontal organizational structures, and “first-order interventions,” like incorporating visioning exercises, role-play, and other creative practices into the workday. “We often work with a framework which we call the imagination matrix, which consists of these three major ingredients… The first is time and space…how do we create more time and space for imagination? The second is permission. So that’s around the culture, and the last is around practice. So that’s where you bring in specific exercises. Check-in exercises, strategy day, exercises, visioning exercises and role-play exercises,” Phoebe explains.

By creating the right conditions for imagination to thrive, organizations can unlock the latent creativity and passion within their teams, empowering them to envision and work towards a better future.

Phoebe’s Vision for a Life-Centric Future

When asked about the future she wishes to see, Phoebe paints a vivid picture of a world of abundance, safety, and harmony with the natural environment. “In this world, the Thames is completely restored back to life, and people live in harmony with nature, and there’s a joy around that, and we’ve seen a complete greening of our cities and as a result of this, people spend a lot more time outside, which, again, brings down stress levels and allows people to unleash creativity and imagination…”

This life-centric future extends beyond the physical environment, encompassing a reimagined economic and social landscape. Phoebe envisions a world where technology is collectively owned and governed, where education is intergenerational and self-led, and where work is centered around purpose and contribution rather than profit and performance. 

“In this world… we’ve transitioned beyond capital. So people don’t just have to do things in order to earn a living. So it’s not that people are only creative when they’re paid to be creative. It actually becomes a blossoming and flourishing force. And this world is also beyond ownership, because we’ve realized that even the paradigm of ownership makes no sense, because nobody owns anything on this planet. We’re only stewards of the world, just like indigenous cultures have been telling us for 1000s of years,” Phoebe explains.

What Does the World Need Most?

Importantly, Phoebe’s vision is not merely a utopian dream, but a call to action. She believes that the world needs people who are willing to listen to their inner voice and follow their courageous path, even if it seems terrifying or doesn’t make immediate sense. “I really believe that if everybody truly followed what it is that they really yearn and long for, whether that’s to be a baker, or to write a book or to live somewhere remote and set up a homeschooling community… That longing and that yearning and the power of intuition and imagination, I really believe is actually the earth knowing itself through us,” Phoebe explains.

She argues that by tapping into our deepest passions and intuitions, we can unlock the transformative potential of moral imagination and drive the change we wish to see in the world. Phoebe believes that when people follow their inner calling, even if it seems unconventional, they can tap into a much larger intelligence and creativity that is essential for addressing the complex challenges facing society.

“People say that when they follow that voice, even when it’s absolutely terrifying and it seems as if you are going to lose everything, and you don’t know how you’re going to make enough money to feed your children. Somehow it will, somehow it comes through. Somehow somebody you didn’t expect suddenly offers to help you, or your neighbor offers you some advice or a connection, or you’re offered a place to live…” 

By embracing our intuition and inner yearnings, Phoebe believes we can cultivate the courage and creativity needed to envision and manifest a more sustainable, equitable, and life-centric future for all.

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