A bold new vision of collective learning
A bold and hopeful new book by Olli-Pekka Heinonen, Director General of the International Baccalaureate and Finland’s former Minister of Education and Science, will be available on 4 November, 2025.
Part reflection and part provocation, Learning as if Life Depended on it: Why We Must See the World Anew, and Figure Out What Follows challenges us to radically reframe the way we have been trained to perceive the world and our influence in it. When we recognize the stories we tell ourselves — about our ability to predict, divide, and control the natural world — as anthropocentric illusions, we open the door to reimagining education’s role. This shift allows us to envision a more sustainable and humane future. Olli-Pekka argues that if we continue to think and live as we do now, we risk deepening society’s growing confusion and complexity while also increasing individuals’ anxiety and sense of disconnection. The book opens with a sharp diagnosis of today’s global uncertainty. “Information is not the friend it used to be,” he writes — a warning for educators and citizens alike.
He explores how confusion and risk demand a radical rethinking of how we learn, lead, and live together. Through the lens of education, he addresses climate change and inequality while urging a reflective, collaborative transformation.
Drawing on his Finnish roots, he shows how systems built on trust and well-being — not exams and over-scheduling — can produce both strong outcomes and responsible citizens. The book explores the illusions that limit our understanding: the illusion of control, permanence, even of knowledge itself. In their place, he invites us to embrace the unseen and unknown — spaces where new meaning and collective learning can take root.
“This wise, lucid and heartfelt book offers us hope and direction, not just for the regeneration of education, but for the preservation of our planetary home.”
Prof. Guy Claxton, author of ‘What’s the Point of School?’ and ‘The Future of Teaching and the Myths that Hold It Back.’
Olli-Pekka’s vision — he calls for curiosity, courage and inner growth. In the book’s final section, he outlines hopeful educational pathways. “Our chances of generating well-being and prosperity, of reinforcing humans’ spiritual growth and humanity’s welfare in unprecedented ways, are better than ever,” he writes.
This English-language publication is a translated, revised and updated version of Olli-Pekka's 2021 Finnish-language book Eletään ihmisiksi – Yhteisöllistä viisautta etsimässä (Let's be Human: In Search of Collective Wisdom).
Olli-Pekka will be donating all profits from sales of the book to IB grants initiatives. You can find more information here.
