What we’re about
PURPOSE: an in-person reading & discussion group engaging with the history of science, technology, and industry to understand how these have and can best support human flourishing.
CONTEXT: For an introduction to progress studies or the progress movement, see Why Study Progress, We Need a New Philosophy of Progress, We Need a New Science of Progress or more resources.
WHEN & WHERE: Wednesday evenings at Vintage Bookstore and Wine Bar, 2x / month. Readings are posted on meetup and shared via email 1+ week prior.
CONTENT: Readings typically consist of 2-4 essays, articles, or blog posts on a chosen topic in the history science, technology, or industry combined with forward looking positional writing from WIP, IFP, Roots of Progress, or the like. Past readings have looked at: the concept of progress, the blast furnace and steel production, factory safety and the toyota production system, progress glamour, industrial literacy, pandemic prevention, pallets, standards, and food history, among others.
PARTICIPATION: No prior engagement with progress studies or the broader community is necessary. We welcome curious minds interested in progress, humanism, and agency—whether you’re deeply invested or just exploring. Expect a range of viewpoints and constructive, thoughtful dialogue. Readings investigate both historical successes (to build on) and failures (to learn from); participants tend to have a positive or interested view of technological development on the whole, but critiques are common and respectful, engaged skepticism is welcome too. Interrogate the readings as much as you can in advance and come with questions and comments - if you only have time to do a quick read through, then come curious.
FORMAT:
1 - Intros
2 - Light context on first reading
3 - General reactions
4 - Deeper dive
Upcoming events (1)
See all- Stagnation (Round 2)Vintage Bookstore and Wine Bar, Austin , TX
Readings:
1 - No Great Technological Stagnation by José Luis Ricón, 2016
2 - Tyler Cowen's sequence of (brief) blog comments on the end of stagnation from Nov 2020, Dec 2020 (1, 2), April 2021, March 2023, and August 2024
3 - Noah Smith on Pop Culture Stagnation, 2025For more 'there wasn't actually a stagnation' content, consider the following (though we'll focus on the above 3 during discussion):
Still no great stagnation by José Luis Ricón - 2021
There was no great stagnation by Adam Hunt - 2022For context, round 1 of this discussion on August 6 focused on the following readings:
Review of J. Storrs Hall's "Where's my Flying Car" by Jason Crawford (or the book)
Review of Robert Gordon's "The Rise and Fall of American Growth," by JC (or the book)
Tyler Cowen on The Great Stagnation in 2011 - 17 min video (or the book)
The above provide an overview of 3 influential perspectives on stagnation.
Crawford context setting on technology stagnation and clarifications
... and the delightfully disconcerting WTF Happened in 1971When & where: Discussion will be at 6:30PM on Wednesday August 20th - we meet at Vintage Wine Bar & Bookstore (google) - 1101 E 11th St - typically upstairs.
Who should join?
No prior engagement with progress studies or the broader community is necessary. We welcome curious minds interested in progress, humanism, and agency—whether you’re deeply invested or just exploring. Expect a range of viewpoints and constructive, thoughtful dialogue.Image: he 1904 World's Fair, St Louis, Missouri: the Festival Hall with gondolas and a swan-boat on the Grand Basin. Photograph, 1904. Created 1904. Source.
