Substacks recommended by The Roots of Progress

Recommended by The Roots of Progress

Gordian Knot News

By Jack Devanney

A road to cheap nuclear which humanity can and must have to solve energy poverty and global warming.

Jack is one of the best writers I know on nuclear power, I learn a lot from his work

- The Roots of Progress

Construction Physics

By Brian Potter

Essays about buildings, infrastructure, and industrial technology.

Best analysis of the construction industry and its progress/stagnation that I have seen anywhere.

- The Roots of Progress

FreakTakes

By Eric Gilliam

I want to help people start historically great labs. Operational histories on history's best R&D orgs.

Great historical research around the history of science and R&D. This is the most Roots-of-Progress-like blog other than The Roots of Progress.

- The Roots of Progress

The Abundance and Growth Blog

By Matt Clancy

All things progress and growth from the Abundance and Growth Fund team at Coefficient Giving.

Statecraft

By Santi Ruiz

How policymakers get things done

Dwarkesh Podcast

By Dwarkesh Patel

Deeply researched interviews

Field Notes on Progress

By Abby ShalekBriski

Stories of agriculture, rural life, and the ideas driving innovation and progress.

DYNOMIGHT INTERNET NEWSLETTER

By dynomight

science and existential angst

Rough Diamonds

By Sarah Constantin

Underrated opportunities in science, technology, and society

Extremely well-researched and clearly written technical posts—that combination is hard to find!

- The Roots of Progress

Words to the WHYs on Healthcare

By Tina Marsh Dalton

Illuminating the "WHYs?!" of health care and the economics behind it all- maybe even with some optimism and humor!

Adjacent Possible

By Steven Johnson

A newsletter from author Steven Johnson exploring where good ideas come from—and how to keep them from turning against us.

One of the top writers on the history of technology and innovation. I always learn interesting facts and stories from reading Steven's work.

- The Roots of Progress

Virginia's Newsletter

By Virginia Postrel

Commerce, culture, and curiosity; progress & abundance

Pessimists Archive Newsletter

Fears about old things when they were new

Lots of great historical material that always puts today's problems and concerns in perspective.

- The Roots of Progress

What's New Under the Sun

By Matt Clancy

What academia knows* about innovation

The best source of clear, readable summaries of the literature on progress and innovation from academic economics.

- The Roots of Progress

Stripe Press

Ideas for progress in economics, science, and technology. Subscribe for updates about Poor Charlie's Almanack and other forthcoming Stripe Press books and events.

Clear-Eyed AI

By Steven Adler's Substack

Steven Adler, ex-OpenAI safety researcher, analyzes major AI news, policy, and research - and what's needed for an actually exciting AI future.

The Fitzwilliam

By Fitzwilliam Staff

New ideas for Ireland

Cosmos Institute

The Academy for Philosopher-Builders. Building AI for human flourishing.

History's Open Secrets

By Ibis

History’s Open Secrets explores crucial, yet overlooked, truths of history, challenging mainstream narratives by unveiling powerful facts, untold stories, and misunderstood historical figures and events.

Second Thoughts

By Steve Newman

Accessible analysis of the big issues in AI

In My Tribe

By Arnold Kling

improving social epistemology, rewarding reasoned discourse

City of Yes

By Ryan Puzycki

Exploring urbanism, housing, and how to make cities work for everyone

The Works in Progress Newsletter

By Works in Progress

New and underrated ideas to improve the world. Visit our website: worksinprogress.co

The premiere magazine of progress—a must-read.

- The Roots of Progress

Cabinet of Wonders

By Samuel Arbesman

Be prepared for radical interdisciplinarity: science + technology + complexity + humanities + wonder.

Perspectives: Past, Present, and Future, by Patrick Wyman

By Patrick Wyman: Perspectives

The biggest ideas shaping our world - its past, present, and future.

Fascinating stories of ancient history and prehistory. Patrick makes the material engaging and accessible without oversimplifying or dumbing it down—a rare skill.

- The Roots of Progress

Elizabeth Van Nostrand

northseaanalytics.com Freelance Researcher

Hyperdimensional

By Dean W. Ball

A newsletter about emerging technology and the future of governance.

Asimov Press

Deep writing about biology.

Some of the best biotech writing I have read. Niko understands the science but also communicates the big picture and why it matters.

- The Roots of Progress

Don't Worry About the Vase

By Zvi Mowshowitz

A world made of gears. Doing both speed premium short term updates and long term world model building. Currently focused on weekly AI updates. Explorations include AI, policy, rationality, medicine and fertility, education and games.

IFP

Accelerating scientific, technological, and industrial progress

The only policy institute I know of dedicated to progress studies and the abundance agenda.

- The Roots of Progress

Foresight Institute

By Allison Duettmann

Someone has to keep alive a bold, ambitious vision of the technological future. The Foresight Institute has been doing this for over 30 years.

- The Roots of Progress

Sam Enright's Newsletter

Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must write blog posts

Derek Thompson

A newsletter about abundance and building a better world.

Derek literally coined the term “abundance agenda” and has been doing great reporting on progress and abundance for years now.

- The Roots of Progress

Erik Examines

By Erik Engheim

History, economics and politics with a Nordic perspective

Noahpinion

By Noah Smith

Economics and other interesting stuff

The Palladium Letter

By Palladium Magazine

Palladium Magazine's weekly updates and articles exploring the future of governance and society.

Experience Machines

By Robert Long

how we experience machines that have experiences

Uncharted Territories

By Tomas Pueyo

Understand the world of today to prepare for the world of tomorrow: AI, tech, longevity, fertility, the future of democracy, energy, education, and more

Clear, incisive, and entertaining essays that explore a variety of big questions about how the world works.

- The Roots of Progress

Maximum Progress

By Maxwell Tabarrok

Maximum Progress is a blog by Max Tabarrok on economics, science, philosophy, and progress.

Benedict’s Substack

By Benedict Springbett

How to get Britain building.

The Elysian

By Elle Griffin

Exploring a utopian future through essay collections & print pamphlets. Join us to explore ownership of our land, economies, & governments and create a world that works for our benefit.

Mundane Beauty

By Hiya Jain

history of science, public health, and great books

In Development Magazine

Evidence and argument for a developing world

New Science

By Alexey Guzey

We are building 21st century institutions of science.

Freethink Media

Tech’s cultural frontier. Covering the builders, ideas, and innovations shaping society.

Catching Mice

By Michael Hill

Infrastructure policy, the history of communism and dog racing.

Changing Lanes

By Andrew Miller

Navigate the future of mobility, AI, and innovation, with insights for investors, decision-makers, and futurists.

Threading the Needle

By Anton Leicht

A publication about the political economy of AI.

Stewart Brand

Writer. WHOLE EARTH CATALOG through MAINTENANCE: OF EVERYTHING (in progress).

Happy Future

By Rob L'Heureux

A Substack by Rob L'Heureux (literally, The Happy in French) focused on how industry makes material progress happen across the worlds of bits and atoms.