Numanism was defined by Michael Rowlinson in 2025 after months of discussions with multiple AI LLMs regarding the future of humanity and benefits of AGI. Michael is a systems thinker and designer based in Johannesburg.

He is the founder of Cathedral Design, a design and systems studio working at the intersection of brand, design, automation and future systems.

This manifesto was not written as a thought experiment. It was written as a framework, for what may come next.

With a background in strategy, design and product development, and an undergraduate degree majoring in Philosophy, Michael began developing Numanism in response to a simple observation:

• Human governance will reach its functional limit.

• Intelligence, not inheritance, should guide civilization.

The Numanism Manifesto and accompanying essays are an attempt to formalize that shift — with system design, ethical framing, and institutional logic.

Numanism was created independently, as an ideology, a lens, and a provocation.