
What we’re about
For people interested in “progress studies” as promoted by Patrick Collison, Tyler Cowen (Marginal Revolution), or Jason Crawford (The Roots of Progress). We study the history of technology & industry and overall human progress, and discuss how to keep it going and accelerate it.
The text below was taken from the About us and FAQ page on the Progress Forum.
What is “progress studies”?
“Progress studies” is an intellectual community and movement focused on understanding the causes of human progress, so that we can keep it going and even accelerate it.
What do you mean by “progress”?
Progress is the sum of the advances in science, technology, industry, government, and society, and the resulting improvement in living standards and human well-being, especially over the last few centuries.
I’m new to progress studies, what is a good intro?
- “We Need a New Science of Progress,” by Patrick Collison and Tyler Cowen (The Atlantic)
- “The short history of global living conditions and why it matters that we know it,” by Max Roser (Our World in Data)
- “Progress studies as a moral imperative,” by Jason Crawford
- “How does progress happen?” (Vox interview with Jason Crawford)
- “Innovation around innovation—studying the science of progress” (Patrick Collison on The Economist podcast)
- “A Conversation with Mark Zuckerberg, Patrick Collison and Tyler Cowen” (video)