Posts

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Articles

Advanced stages of agriculture » March 29, 2020
“Definite” vs. “indefinite” optimism as a false dichotomy » March 28, 2020
What's the deal with enclosures? » March 26, 2020
Six stages of agriculture » March 25, 2020
Some agricultural terminology » March 24, 2020
Studying agriculture, with the garage door up » March 23, 2020
Leadership and progress » March 23, 2020
F. R. E. A. M. » March 20, 2020
Mark Lutter on progress studies and charter cities » March 16, 2020
Our best weapons against disease don't work on COVID-19 » March 10, 2020
How early American inventors funded their ventures » March 8, 2020
Epistemic standards for “Why did it take so long to invent X?” » March 1, 2020
Stagnation, scientific incentives, and funding models » February 23, 2020
Some things that happened in 1973 » February 22, 2020
The plight of the poor » February 19, 2020
Draining the swamp » January 28, 2020
2019 in review » December 31, 2019
More on polio and randomized clinical trials » December 27, 2019
Polio and the controversy over randomized clinical trials » December 20, 2019
Our weapons against infectious disease: a survey » December 12, 2019
Were vaccines relevant to 20th century US mortality improvements? » December 9, 2019
A letter on optimism » December 3, 2019
Slaying the speckled monster » November 21, 2019
In which I answer your questions about cement » October 31, 2019
Reframing “sustainability” » October 27, 2019
A dialogue on growth, progress, and “sustainability” » October 24, 2019
Iron: From mythical to mundane » October 22, 2019
Progress studies as a civic duty » October 14, 2019
Video: The History of Steel & the Roots of Progress » October 10, 2019
Progress studies as a moral imperative » September 7, 2019
Does invention come from deprivation or plenty? » August 18, 2019
Why did we wait so long for the bicycle? » July 13, 2019
Science and the Industrial Revolution » June 29, 2019
Science and steel » June 22, 2019
What's wrong with books on industrial history » May 12, 2019
One man's junk » April 28, 2019
The Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum » April 21, 2019
The significance of electricity » March 31, 2019
Continental axes and the roots of progress » March 24, 2019
Why AC won the Electricity Wars » March 9, 2019
When innovation hits “snooze” » January 1, 2019
2018 in review » December 31, 2018
Navigating the high seas » November 24, 2018
Early cars: gas, electric & steam » November 17, 2018
Science and steam » October 27, 2018
The 13th labor of Hercules » September 3, 2018
Problem-solution history » August 11, 2018
Unsustainable » August 5, 2018
Learning the loom » May 27, 2018
The time machine » May 20, 2018
Out of whole cloth » April 21, 2018
Going for a spin » April 16, 2018
Learning with my hands » April 1, 2018
Enlightenment Now: A summary » March 11, 2018
Primitive thought » February 4, 2018
The first and true inventor » January 20, 2018
Instant stone (just add water!) » January 6, 2018
Twelve books from 2017 » December 31, 2017
And they shall walk » December 24, 2017
Why did we wait so long for the cotton gin? » November 25, 2017
Pesticides and old lace » November 4, 2017
What was the relationship of the Scientific Revolution to the Industrial? » October 29, 2017
That Senator really took a beating » October 17, 2017
The most peaceful time in history » September 21, 2017
The shadow of the moon » September 18, 2017
The story of materials » September 3, 2017
Turning air into bread » August 12, 2017
Vaclav Smil on “Making the Modern World” » July 15, 2017
Charting progress » July 11, 2017
Smart, rich & free » July 8, 2017
Nomad life » July 2, 2017
The beginning » June 25, 2017
Categorizing technologies » June 3, 2017
Trains and steamboats » May 25, 2017
The Malthusian Trap, analyzed » May 23, 2017
The Malthusian Trap? » May 21, 2017
Better living through chemistry » May 20, 2017
There are no natural resources » April 15, 2017
What is smelting? » April 15, 2017
What is steel? And how is it related to iron? » April 9, 2017
What is charcoal? And how is it different from coal? » April 9, 2017
What is an “engine”? » April 8, 2017
The significance of the steam engine » April 8, 2017
James Watt's steam engine » April 8, 2017
The Newcomen steam engine » April 2, 2017
Religious freedom and the Enlightenment » April 1, 2017
The virtuousness of technology » March 31, 2017
The Baconian program » March 30, 2017
The idea of progress » March 23, 2017
Don't read this blog » March 17, 2017
Motivation » March 17, 2017

Interviews

Interviews: Building Tomorrow, Antipessimists, Brown Political Review, Todd Nief » March 2, 2020
Two more interviews: Idea Machines, Only Everything » February 17, 2020
Interviews: Agora Politics, The Troubadour Magazine » February 15, 2020
Podcast interview: Palladium with Ash Milton » January 27, 2020
Podcast interview: Market Power with Craig Palsson » January 23, 2020
Podcast interview with Jordan Myers on “That's BS” » October 27, 2019
Podcast interview on Venture Stories with Erik Torenberg and Rob Tracinski » October 17, 2019
Podcast interview on “Self in Society” with Ari Armstrong » September 22, 2019

See also the list of all interviews.

Announcements

SF event this Friday: Co-hosting Long Now happy hour at The Interval » January 22, 2020
What podcasts should I go on? » January 16, 2020
Going full-time » October 28, 2019
Reddit community (subreddit) for Roots of Progress » October 26, 2019
Support this project on Patreon » September 8, 2019
Subscribe by email » January 12, 2019
Added a bibliography » April 9, 2018