"Which gives you a hint of why I think it is important to establish a field of study so we can learn more about this phenomenon. It could obviously help us make our homes more peaceful and our companies more profitable. But even more important, societal intelligence and species intelligence, in particular, would -- by definition -- enhance our ability to address social, economic, and environmental problems. Our collective intelligence -- and we always have more or less of it -- has a profound effect on our individual lives and on our collective prospects. In times of collective crisis -- like now -- this is of paramount importance."