Plural / Pluriel

Plural / Pluriel was a collective dedicated to pluralism in the digital world (London and Paris, 2017 – 2022).

Pluralism is the belief that diversity of opinions, ways of life and value systems is beneficial to society. 

I created the collective because I was and I’m still convinced that it is not only possible to live with our differences in the digital age, but that coexistence of social, cultural and economic alternatives is the best protection against self-alienation. 

Digitalization is much more than a technological phenomenon. It is the most disruptive force of our time and has as much to do with philosophy and social change than software engineering.

The collective was not affiliated to any political party. A pluralistic society can only be achieved through the necessary criticism of power structures. And our independence was thus vital.

Sadly, pluralism in its purest philosophical form (I’m not talking about prescribed diversity and neoliberalism) is a concept that is not playing the role it should in today’s public debates. What are climate change, widening social inequality and the rise of extremism if not the consequences of lack of perspective, after all?

We were unable make a big enough impact. But pluralism is not dead yet.

I have transferred most of our research and analysis to this website to ensure that it remains publicly available. And I’m still developing my personal thoughts and conducting research on the topic .

Iva Šokičić took over our meetup group and keeps organising virtual roundtables.

Please visit the website of our former members who continue to promote pluralism in their own unique ways.

Former Plural Members

Btihaj Ajana, researcher, London

Philippa Bowe, activist, France

Lyralen Kaye, activist, Toronto

Federica Lucivero, researcher, London

Dalila Madjid, lawyer, Paris

Jean-Lucien Mazeau, entrepreneur, Paris

Lukas à Porta, author, Paris

Shane Saunderson, author, Toronto

Iva Šokičić, freelance researcher, Zagreb

Publications

Featured Debates

The Quantified Self: for a Worse or Better You?

Debate about health trackers and body gamification.

What can Lawmakers Learn from Lean UX?

Could lean software development techniques improve citizen engagement?

How to bring the unexpected online

Debate about online serendipity.