The School of Thought is a small 501c3 non-profit with big ambitions.

Despite achieving more than many non-profits who are very well-funded (or even just simply funded), we are still operating with only volunteers.  This is unsustainable, and now – more than ever – we need major donors to help us fulfil our mission to teach the next generation how to think critically and independently; and to foster reason and understanding on a global scale.

Here is a video that the wonderful Mr. Stephen Fry helped us with that outlines our mission:

Proofs of concept

These are some of the projects we’ve created so far using our unique approach of combining the best of design, philosophy, and technology to create engaging experiences that promote rational and scientific thinking:

We’ve proven our approach works, now we just need funding to take it mainstream and change the world for good.

The major donations we’re seeking are to fund a pilot program for our most ambitious project yet, named The Big Win, and to bring the acclaimed internationally best-selling author of How Minds Change and You Are Not So Smart, David McRaney, on as our new CEO to deliver our mission to the masses. Here’s David’s website, and below you can see a video of him introducing his new internationally best-selling book How Minds Change:

The idea behind The Big Win is to use our worst natures against themselves to create a global shift in consciousness toward a more rational and scientific mindset.

It’s a philanthropically funded global sweepstakes lottery that is free to enter. To increase your chances of winning, you take The Big Test. To study, you watch a series of highly-crafted videos promoting reason, rationality, and the virtues of the scientific method. Think Carl Sagan meets Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell.

You can also increase your chances of winning by inviting your friends to join The Big Win. 

Effectively we’re leveraging people’s greed, competitive natures, and status anxiety to create a global viral platform that helps everyone to become less susceptible to those very same darker aspects of our nature, and instead promotes embracing a more enlightened and scientific mindset.

We’re looking to raise $3m to build a pilot version of The Big Win with a $1m first prize and many smaller prizes to incentivize mass uptake and validate the concept before a global launch that aims at nothing less than profoundly changing the course of history.

If you are a major donor, work for a philanthropic organization, or know someone who may be able to help, please reach out to coordinate a time to talk with our founder Jesse Richardson and David McRaney: