Dear friends,

For the inaugural IAM Research Forum, Brendan Graham Dempsey, Nick Hedlund, and Robb Smith lay out the mission of IAM (Institute of Applied Metatheory) as a space for integrating knowledge across disciplines through “Integrative Metatheory 2.0” in the context of global metacrisis. Together, they explore the fractured state of knowledge in both the sciences and humanities, introduce the concept of the metacrisis as a crisis rooted at the level of worldview, and share IAM’s vision and strategy for 2026 and beyond.

The IAM Research Forum is a new recurring space for our scholarly community. As things progress, these sessions will serve as opportunities for our scholars to present their work, share updates from working groups, and discuss projects moving towards publication. For this first session, we wanted to set the context and offer a grounding in the mission and frameworks that hold our work together.

Recorded January 8, 2026

Timestamps

0:00 – Introduction: Fractured Knowledge & Crisis in Academia (Brendan Graham Dempsey)

8:06 – The Metacrisis: A Time Between Worlds (Nick Hedlund)

18:51 – Integrative Metatheory 2.0: Alpha, Beta & Gamma Modes

22:25 – The Institute of Applied Metatheory: Mission & Vision (Robb Smith)

27:36 – 2026 Strategy: Kernel, Middleware & Applications

33:28 – Invitation to Scholars & Closing Remarks