Jürgen Renn is Founding Director at the Max Planck Institute of
Geoanthropology. His research concerns the long-term developments of knowledge
in consideration of processes of globalization and the historical dynamics that
led to the Anthropocene.
Prior to this, he was founding director and director of Department I of
the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (MPIWG) in Berlin. In
almost three decades at the MPIWG, his numerous research projects in knowledge
development in relation to different cultures and historical periods have
opened up new approaches, especially in the digital humanities. Jürgen Renn has
authored, co-authored, and edited over 60 books, 200 book chapters and articles
on topics ranging from the history of mechanics in antiquity and the early
modern period to quantum physics and the theory of general relativity. His most
recent publications look at the role of knowledge in global historical
transformations, and explore how this knowledge can help us to confront the
complexities of the Anthropocene age.
He is a member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina,
acatech – the National Academy of Science and Engineering, the International
Academy of the History of Science, and is Fellow of the American Association
for the Advancement of Science and the Istituto Veneto. In 2019, he was elected
a corresponding member of the German Archaeological Institute.
Jürgen Renn serves as a member of the Board of Directors of ESYS –
Energy Systems of the Future and the Supervisory Board of the Futurium. In
recognition of his contributions to the history of science, he has received
numerous awards, including the Gustav Neuenschwander Prize, the Francis-Bacon
Award and the Medaglia Commandiniana. He received the Pais Prize for his works
in the field of history of physics and was NOMIS-fellow for his research on
Leonardo da Vinci. Furthermore, he was awarded Honorary Doctorates by Tel Aviv
University and Hebrew University Jerusalem.
This programmatic essay focuses on the concept of life collectives, which are also thought collectives. From a historical-materialist perspective, the essay discusses the long-term natural and social processes that have led to the Anthropocene as a new geological epoch. The authors are concerned with a reflection on the human condition and, consequently, with a redefinition of humanity that takes into account the timescales of the intertwined histories of Earth and humankind, as well as our understanding of planetary carrying capacities. From their perspective, humanity possesses the power to shape the planet, yet its opportunities and responsibilities are unevenly distributed. Against this backdrop, the authors examine our species’ capacity for alliance—with nature as well as with one another—as a prerequisite for effectively addressing global challenges. Local communities and globally active intellectual collectives open up new perspectives for developing a sense of species consciousness grounded in what we share and for charting sustainable paths toward the future.
Carleton, W. C.; Tho, T.; Brotherson, D.; Phin, S.; Groucutt, H.; Renn, J.; Roberts, P.: Bayesian modelling of the latent human influence field in archaeological urban sediments at Koh Ker, Cambodia. Journal of Archaeological Science 193, 106663 (2026)
Rattenborg, R.; Pagé-Perron, É.; Dahl, J. L.; Lafont, B.; Renn, J.: مبادرة المكتبة الرقمية للنصوص القانونية (CDLI): قاعدة بيانات مجانية لجميع النصوص القانونية. Isin journal for archaeology, history and ancient languages, nffpyt62 (2026)
Zalasiewicz, J. A.; Head, M. J.; Waters, C. N.; Summerhayes, C. P.; Turner, S.; Wagreich, M.; Aquilina, L.; Cearreta, A.; Chakraborty, A.; Gałuszka, A.et al.; Hajdas, I.; Sul, J. I. d.; Leinfelder, R.; Magny, M.; McCarthy, F. M.G.; McNeill, J. R.; Park, B. S.; Pöschl, U.; Renn, J.; Robin, L.; Saito, Y.; Sörlin, S.; Thomas, J. A.; Trischler, H.; Williams, M.; Wallenhorst, N.; Will, F.: Reply to Edgeworth et al. 2024: The Anthropocene is a time interval, and more besides. Earth's Future 13 (9), e2024EF005612 (2025)
Stokes, F. J.; Benites, S.; Ekman, A.; Suruí, U. A.; Furquim, L.; Winkelmann, R.; Renn, J.; Roberts, P.: Tropical deforestation and Indigenous resistance over the longue durée in South America. Journal of global history 20 (2), S1740022825000051 , pp. 121 - 142 (2025)
Carleton, W. C.; Elton, H.; Miranda, W.; Work, I.; Safarik, D.; Winkelmann, R.; Laubichler, M. D.; Renn, J.; Roberts, P.: Parallel scaling of elite wealth in ancient Roman and modern cities with implications for understanding urban inequality. Nature cities, s44284-025-00213-1 (2025)
Rosol, C.; Schäfer, G. N.; Turner, S. D.; Waters, C. N.; Head, M. J.; Zalasiewicz, J.; Rossée, C.; Renn, J.; Klingan, K.; Scherer, B. M.: Evidence and experiment: curating contexts of Anthropocene geology. The Anthropocene Review 10 (1), 20530196231165621, pp. 330 - 339 (2023)
Gutfreund, H.; Renn, J.: Dialectical materialism and quantum physics: the unpublished 1957 lectures of David Bohm in Israel. Oxford University Press, Oxford (2026), 256 pp.
Renn, J.; Reinhardt, C.; Kocka, J. (Eds.): Die Max-Planck-Gesellschaft: Wissenschafts- und Zeitgeschichte 1945–2005. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen (2024), 992 pp.
Renn, J.; Gutfreund, H.: The Einsteinian Revolution: the historical roots of his breakthroughs. Princeton University Press, Princeton ; Oxford (2024), XVIII, 249 pp.
Balcar, J.; Renn, J.: Das Ringen um die Steuerbarkeit der MPG. In: Die Max-Planck-Gesellschaft: Wissenschafts- und Zeitgeschichte 1945–2005, Vol. 1, IV, 1. Auflage Ed., pp. 516 - 549 (Eds. Renn, J.; Reinhardt, C.; Kocka, J.). Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen (2024)
