A nonprofit research institute that seeks to develop mathematically rigorous foundations for metaphysics, using category theory to formalize insights from contemplative traditions, with applications to AI alignment and trustworthy AI.
A nonprofit research institute that seeks to develop mathematically rigorous foundations for metaphysics, using category theory to formalize insights from contemplative traditions, with applications to AI alignment and trustworthy AI.
People
Updated 05/18/26Funding Details
Updated 05/18/26- Annual Budget
- $204,787
- Current Runway
- -
- Funding Goal
- -
- Funding Raised to Date
- $495,000
Org Details
Updated 05/18/26The Mathematical Metaphysics Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research organization founded and led by Alex Zhu. The institute's ambitious mission is to develop a new branch of mathematics that can do for metaphysics -- the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of consciousness, the relationship between mind and matter, and the nature of identity -- what calculus did for natural philosophy. The institute considers it plausible that the metaphysical insights necessary for this are already implicitly understood in the mystical traditions of the world religions, and that the time is ripe for formalizing them. The institute's approach centers on taking dependent origination, the central metaphysical concept in Buddhism, to its logical conclusion, and formalizing these insights in the language of category theory, a branch of mathematics that has been described as the "primordial ooze" of mathematical structures. The work draws inspiration from mathematician David Spivak's theoretical work and the observation that many of Hegel's core metaphysical ideas have already been formalized in category theory. The institute's research spans three core areas. First, complex systems foundations, addressing philosophical bottlenecks in modeling ecosystems, economies, and climate systems. Second, science and consciousness, developing rigorous frameworks for consciousness studies and reconciling scientific and religious perspectives. Third, trustworthy AI, creating mathematical foundations for evaluating truth and goodness across different perspectives, which the institute sees as essential for building AI systems that do not merely reflect programmer biases. The institute operates three main programs: an Academic Grants Program funding research on Eastern spiritual traditions within academic contexts, including work on near-death experiences and Buddhist meditation states; an Educational Materials program creating accessible introductory resources; and a Research Consulting program. In its most recent filing, total program expenses were approximately $204,787, with academic grants constituting the largest share at $162,120. Alex Zhu, the founder and president, placed 1st in the 2012 USA Math Olympiad and 15th in the 2012 Putnam Competition. He attended MIT before co-founding AlphaSheets, a startup that secured over $5 million in funding before being acquired by Google. He has focused full-time on AI alignment since 2017 and contributes to AI alignment grantmaking through Jaan Tallinn's Survival and Flourishing Fund. From 2022 to 2024, he hosted retreats with respected AI alignment thinkers exploring the relevance of religion and spirituality to alignment research. The institute's team includes advisors David Spivak, Shinzen Young, and Ammar Amonette; research staff Mark Miller and Alexander Siegenfeld; research affiliates Lars Sandved-Smith and B. Scot Rousse; and media lead Lucas Perry. The board of directors consists of Alex Zhu, Blake Borgeson, and Jerry Sun. The Mathematical Metaphysics Institute has received funding from the Survival and Flourishing Fund, including $260,000 in the 2024 round and a $235,000 speculation grant in the 2025 round, both from Jaan Tallinn for general support.
Theory of Change
Updated 05/18/26The Mathematical Metaphysics Institute believes that building trustworthy AI requires technically precise understandings of truth and goodness, which current approaches lack. Without such foundations, AI systems risk merely reflecting programmer biases or sycophantically validating users' mistaken conceptions. The institute's theory of change centers on developing a rigorous mathematical framework for metaphysics and metaethics, drawing on insights from contemplative traditions (particularly Buddhist dependent origination) formalized through category theory. By establishing a mathematical basis for evaluating truth and goodness from within any given perspective, this work would provide the formal foundations needed for AI systems that can reason about values in a principled way, reducing existential risk from misaligned AI.
Grants Received
Updated 05/18/26Projects
Updated 05/18/26MMI’s Academic Grants Program funds scholarly work that concretizes and disseminates metaphysical insights from Eastern spiritual traditions within existing academic frameworks, including research on near‑death experiences and on Buddhist jhāna states and Christian speaking in tongues.
Series of Math and Metaphysics Symposia organized by the Mathematical Metaphysics Institute to advance its goal of developing mathematically rigorous foundations for metaphysics and exploring their implications.
Discussion
Key risk: The core risk is that this 8+ year metaphysics-to-math program remains speculative and fails to yield actionable, testable alignment tools or influence frontier labs, making marginal dollars here counterfactually weaker than funding more tractable alignment research.
Case for funding: They are uniquely attempting to formalize Buddhist dependent origination into a category-theoretic, decision-theoretic basis for metaethics—backed by a mathematically elite founder (Alex Zhu), advisors like David Spivak, and convenings of top alignment thinkers—offering a neglected, high-upside path to principled non-sycophantic value reasoning in AI at low cost.