Why study progress?

The progress of the last few centuries—in science, technology, industry, and the economy—is one of the greatest achievements of humanity. But progress is not automatic or inevitable. We must understand its causes, so that we can keep it going, and even accelerate it. Read more »

We need a new philosophy of progress

In order to make progress, we must believe that it is possible and desirable. The 19th century believed in the power of technology and industry to better humanity, but in the 20th century, this belief gave way to skepticism and distrust. We need a new way forward. Read the essay »

Why subscribe to this newsletter?

Subscribe to get essays and announcements from The Roots of Progress by email. The posts are bundled into a digest that goes out about once a week.

Or via Twitter (@rootsofprogress), Reddit (r/rootsofprogress), or RSS.

Subscribe to The Roots of Progress

The history of technology and the philosophy of progress—a digest of posts from rootsofprogress.org

People

Founder, Roots of Progress Institute (rootsofprogress.org). I write about the history of technology and the philosophy of progress.
Building the progress movement — accelerating the careers of progress intellectuals, creating a community, and engaging people through ideas that shape our future.