The Pari Center for New Learning was conceived as a haven of peace and gentle action in a world increasingly gripped by turmoil. In adopting Carlo Levi’s maxim that ‘the future has an ancient heart’ we look to the future while bearing in mind the wisdom of the past. Beginning in Andalusian Spain in the 12th and 13th centuries, Europe saw a New Learning emerge as Jewish, Christian and Islamic scholars worked side by side, inspired by a vision of erudition, awareness, and a harmonious society. It was out of these seeds that the Renaissance was born. We believe that a similar transformation is possible today.