A few weeks ago, while listening to an episode of the Vox podcast Unexplainable, I came across a concept that’s stuck with me: the Silurian hypothesis. At first, it seemed like a distant, almost sci-fi idea, but as I reflected more deeply, the clearer it became that this thought experiment could offer a new lens through which we approach social responsibility, environmental stewardship, and the work we do to transform communities and ourselves through volunteering.
What is the Silurian Hypothesis?
The Silurian hypothesis, proposed by scientists Adam Frank and Gavin Schmidt in 2018, is a fascinating thought experiment. It asks us to consider whether an advanced, industrial civilization could have existed on Earth millions of years ago, long before humans, and whether its traces might have been lost to time. The name “Silurian” nods to the intelligent reptilian species in Doctor Who, but the hypothesis doesn’t suggest that such a civilization did exist. Instead, Frank and Schmidt pose a more profound question: Could we even know? Would evidence of such a civilization be detectable, or would Earth’s relentless geological processes have erased it over millennia?
This idea isn’t about searching for ancient extraterrestrials or hidden ruins. It’s about exploring the difficulty of tracing industrialized life over vast timescales and, more provocatively, what this implies for our own civilization’s long-term legacy on Earth.
Implications for Volunteering: A Time Shift
Contemplating geologic time—spans of millions or even billions of years—can be mind-boggling. Our human brains struggle to truly comprehend such vast periods. However, the Silurian hypothesis challenges us to broaden our temporal perspective beyond our immediate present and prompts us to reflect on our own legacy. By considering the potential consequences of our decisions over geological timescales, we’re compelled to reevaluate our priorities and the lasting mark we’ll leave on Earth. How might our current choices shape the planet’s future millions of years from now, and what responsibility do we bear to ensure that legacy is a positive one?
Here are a few ways this shift in perspective could play out:
- Long-Term Thinking: In volunteering, we often measure success by what happens next week, next month, or next year. But, the Silurian hypothesis encourages us to stretch our thinking over a much longer horizon. What would it look like to design volunteer programs that focus on creating change that lasts beyond our lifetimes? Can we build structures today that will still make a difference in 100 or even 1,000 years? It’s an exercise in both humility and hope.
- Environmental Stewardship: If entire civilizations can rise and vanish without a trace, it highlights just how fragile life on Earth can be. This speaks to the urgency of environmental stewardship. Volunteering focused on conservation, climate action, and sustainable development takes on heightened meaning when we remember what we do today will determine whether the Earth is still habitable for future generations of volunteers, thinkers, and dreamers.
- Legacy and Impact: What traces will our civilization—and, by extension, our volunteer efforts—leave behind? Are we creating programs that only serve as a Band-Aid for today’s immediate needs, or are we building a legacy that will outlast us? This calls for a more thoughtful approach to how we define and measure impact, especially as we consider sustainability and the structures we put in place to ensure continuity.
- Humility in Service: The hypothesis that we might not be the first or only industrialized civilization to exist on Earth reminds us that our work is part of a much larger story. This humility can help us approach volunteering and community work with openness and respect. We’re not the saviors swooping in to fix everything — we’re part of a collective effort that stretches across time, one piece of the larger human puzzle.
The Transformative Approach to Volunteering: Expanding Perspectives through Reflection
The Transformative Approach to social impact is centered on reflection, deep engagement, and understanding one’s role in creating lasting change in individual lives and across communities. Much like the Silurian hypothesis asks us to consider our place within Earth’s vast history, the Transformative Approach prompts us to reconsider our personal and collective responsibility to our communities.
Using the Silurian Hypothesis as a tool for reflection, social impact practitioners can engage in thought experiments that challenge their existing assumptions and help them see the broader, interconnected reality of their actions. Here are some guiding questions to consider as you evaluate your programs:
- Long-Term Thinking: What would our programs look like if designed to create change lasting beyond our lifetimes?
- Legacy and Impact: Are we building a legacy that will outlast our civilization or merely addressing immediate needs?
- Environmental Stewardship: To what extent does our current work contribute to long-term environmental sustainability?
- Challenging Assumptions: Which of our existing beliefs about social impact should we question to broaden our temporal perspective?
- Connecting to a Larger Story: Where does our current work fit within the broader, generational narrative of social progress?
- Transformation through Awareness: How can we design our programs to encourage a deeper understanding of our place in Earth’s history?
Moving Beyond the Present Moment
The Silurian hypothesis offers a unique and valuable lens for social impact work. It asks us to think not just about today or even tomorrow but about the long arc of time — and how we fit into it. It reminds us that we are both fleeting and significant, part of a larger story unfolding across millennia. And perhaps most importantly, it challenges us to design our social impact efforts in ways that endure, inspire, and leave a lasting legacy. As we continue to shape the future of corporate impact, let’s carry forward this broader perspective, always questioning, reflecting, and striving for transformative change.
