Peter Baumann - The Baumann Foundation

The Baumann Foundation

Following his music career, Peter Baumann moved to San Francisco, where in 2009 he founded the Baumann Foundation: a think-tank that explores the experience of being human in the context of cognitive science, evolutionary theory and philosophy. The foundation pursues its fundamental mission, to foster greater clarity about the human condition, by organizing initiatives that facilitate scientific research and promote discussions between scientists, contemplatives, and the public. The Baumann Foundation's main initiative is Beinghuman.org, a social website designed to spark a global conversation about how current developments in fields like behavioral economics, cognitive neuroscience, evolutionary psychology, genetics, anthropology, and philosophy can help people make sense of their experiences.

In 2012 the foundation sponsored Being Human 2012, an interdisciplinary conference held in San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts that brought together neuroscientists, philosophers, evolutionary theorists and meditation experts to hold a public dialogue about the nature of humanity.

Baumann is the co-author, with Michael W. Taft, of the 2011 book Ego: The Fall of the Twin Towers and the Rise of an Enlightened Humanity. The book draws on new research in neuroscience, evolutionary biology, and other scientific fields to examine the origin and history of the human ego and the evolutionary implications of the September 11 attacks.