About Jeremy Lent

Jeremy Lent is an author whose writings investigate the patterns of thought that have led our civilization to its current crisis of sustainability. He is founder of the nonprofit Liology Institute, dedicated to fostering an integrated worldview, both scientifically rigorous and intrinsically meaningful, that could enable humanity to thrive sustainably on the Earth.

Born in London, England, Lent received a BA in English Literature from Cambridge University and an MBA from the University of Chicago. He initially pursued a career in business, founding an internet startup and taking it public.

Beginning around 2005, Lent began an inquiry into the various constructions of meaning formed by cultures around the world and throughout history. His award-winning book, The Patterning Instinct: A Cultural History of Humanity’s Search for Meaning, published in 2017, traces the deep historical foundations of our modern worldview.

Lent's upcoming book, The Web of Meaning: Integrating Science and Traditional Wisdom to Find Our Place in the Universe, offers a coherent and intellectually solid foundation for a worldview based on connectedness that could lead humanity to a sustainable, flourishing future.

Lent writes topical articles exploring the deeper patterns of political and cultural developments at Patterns of Meaning.

My Story

"Around fifteen years ago, my life began unraveling around me.
 
I’d recently taken public the internet company I'd founded in a successful IPO during the internet bubble year of 1999. But my wife was developing serious health problems and I quit the company to look after her. Within a couple of years, the company was collapsing, and my wife’s health deteriorated further, leading to her eventual death.
 
The structures that had given my life meaning had shattered. But along with the loss, I noticed a glimmer of possibility: here I was in midlife, with the ability to consciously redirect my future. To where?

​I knew, above all, I wanted my life to feel meaningful – but based on what foundation? I was determined to sort through the received narratives of meaning until I came across a foundation I could really believe in.
 
My drive to answer these questions led me to write The Patterning Instinct – a book that explores the different patterns of meaning that cultures through history, including our own, have constructed.
It’s been a journey of nearly ten years, during which I dedicated myself full time to deep research in disciplines such as neuroscience, history, and anthropology.
 
In a way, I’ve written the book for myself –as I was ten years ago – and for all those who ask similar questions to mine."

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