As spring comes to an end, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the season’s highlights. One of the most remarkable events was the Plenary Session, held on April 26 at the Central Asian Institute for Environmental Research. The gathering took place as part of the Future Talks series, initiated by the Saby Charitable Foundation with the support of the intellectual community Noôdome.
For three hours, the Institute transformed into an intellectual ark — a meeting place of ideas, perspectives, emotions, and meanings. In a dynamic dialogue, brilliant minds from the worlds of science, economics, and culture of two nations came together. The goal was not only to reflect on the present but also to chart a course toward a conscious, human-centered future — with a focus on two key areas: education and economy.
In the first part of the session, Assel Tasmagambetova — entrepreneur, environmentalist, and President of the Saby Foundation — and Tatyana Chernigovskaya — neuropsychologist, linguist, and professor — spoke about a world for which no manual has yet been written. They discussed how to spark a passion for learning in the younger generation, the evolving role of the teacher in times of uncertainty, and why today it is especially important to nurture not just knowledge but also inner resilience in youth.
In the second part, the conversation about the future was continued by Rakhim Oshakbayev, Chief Economist of the TALAP Center, and Alexander Auzan, institutional economist and Dean of the Faculty of Economics at Moscow State University. They explored the idea of a new economic ethic — where growth is measured not only by GDP but also by happiness, and where the value of decisions is defined by meaning rather than speed.
The final chord came from Alexander Asmolov, Doctor of Psychology and Professor at Moscow State University. He reminded us that without human-centeredness, any future is doomed to be fragile — both emotionally and structurally.
We’ve gathered some of the most powerful quotes from the speakers — sincere, thought-provoking, and full of meaning. May they serve as a compass in your search for a future where the human being is the chief architect of a new reality.
