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Articles
Notes and essays on progress:
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2020 in review
» December 31, 2020
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When life was literally full of crap
» December 21, 2020
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What is the “protein folding problem”? A brief explanation
» November 30, 2020
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The 300-year journey to the covid vaccine
» November 9, 2020
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Progress, stagnation, and flying cars
» November 6, 2020
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Innovation is not linear (for Works in Progress)
» October 19, 2020
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Technology and its side effects
» October 13, 2020
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“The growing gap between our power and our wisdom”
» October 9, 2020
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Some elements of industrial literacy
» October 8, 2020
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The Rise and Fall of American Growth: A summary
» October 5, 2020
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Industrial literacy
» September 30, 2020
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A dialogue with Dr. John K. Davis: is technology making things better?
» September 22, 2020
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Progress: Fluke or trend?
» September 12, 2020
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Progress studies is more than political engineering
» September 11, 2020
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Indignation in response to the 1890 census
» September 8, 2020
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The theme of the Three-Body Problem trilogy
» September 2, 2020
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19th-century progress studies
» August 26, 2020
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Why haven't we celebrated any major achievements lately?
» August 17, 2020
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Descriptive vs. prescriptive optimism
» July 25, 2020
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Crowdfunding a transcontinental railroad in 1857
» July 14, 2020
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Teasing apart the S-curves
» June 15, 2020
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Pasteur's quadrant
» June 5, 2020
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Shuttling between science and invention
» May 27, 2020
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My current obsession: funding for research
» May 14, 2020
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How can nonprofits gain the advantages of the for-profit model?
» May 5, 2020
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Organizational metabolism and the for-profit advantage
» April 29, 2020
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Questions to ask about funding models
» April 24, 2020
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Funding models for science and invention
» April 23, 2020
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Funding models and progress
» April 21, 2020
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A builder manifesto
» April 18, 2020
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Pandemics and progress
» April 7, 2020
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Advanced stages of agriculture
» March 29, 2020
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“Definite” vs. “indefinite” optimism as a false dichotomy
» March 28, 2020
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What's the deal with enclosures?
» March 26, 2020
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Six stages of agriculture
» March 25, 2020
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Some agricultural terminology
» March 24, 2020
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Studying agriculture, with the garage door up
» March 23, 2020
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Leadership and progress
» March 23, 2020
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F. R. E. A. M.
» March 20, 2020
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Mark Lutter on progress studies and charter cities
» March 16, 2020
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Our best weapons against disease don't work on COVID-19
» March 10, 2020
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How early American inventors funded their ventures
» March 8, 2020
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Epistemic standards for “Why did it take so long to invent X?”
» March 1, 2020
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Stagnation, scientific incentives, and funding models
» February 23, 2020
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Some things that happened in 1973
» February 22, 2020
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The plight of the poor
» February 19, 2020
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Draining the swamp
» January 28, 2020
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2019 in review
» December 31, 2019
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More on polio and randomized clinical trials
» December 27, 2019
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Polio and the controversy over randomized clinical trials
» December 20, 2019
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Our weapons against infectious disease: a survey
» December 12, 2019
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Were vaccines relevant to 20th century US mortality improvements?
» December 9, 2019
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A letter on optimism
» December 3, 2019
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Slaying the speckled monster
» November 21, 2019
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In which I answer your questions about cement
» October 31, 2019
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Reframing “sustainability”
» October 27, 2019
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A dialogue on growth, progress, and “sustainability”
» October 24, 2019
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Iron: From mythical to mundane
» October 22, 2019
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Progress studies as a civic duty
» October 14, 2019
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Video: The History of Steel & the Roots of Progress
» October 10, 2019
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Progress studies as a moral imperative
» September 7, 2019
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Does invention come from deprivation or plenty?
» August 18, 2019
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Why did we wait so long for the bicycle?
» July 13, 2019
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Science and the Industrial Revolution
» June 29, 2019
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Science and steel
» June 22, 2019
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What's wrong with books on industrial history
» May 12, 2019
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One man's junk
» April 28, 2019
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The Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum
» April 21, 2019
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The significance of electricity
» March 31, 2019
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Continental axes and the roots of progress
» March 24, 2019
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Why AC won the Electricity Wars
» March 9, 2019
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When innovation hits “snooze”
» January 1, 2019
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2018 in review
» December 31, 2018
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Navigating the high seas
» November 24, 2018
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Early cars: gas, electric & steam
» November 17, 2018
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Science and steam
» October 27, 2018
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The 13th labor of Hercules
» September 3, 2018
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Problem-solution history
» August 11, 2018
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Unsustainable
» August 5, 2018
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Learning the loom
» May 27, 2018
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The time machine
» May 20, 2018
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Out of whole cloth
» April 21, 2018
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Going for a spin
» April 16, 2018
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Learning with my hands
» April 1, 2018
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Enlightenment Now: A summary
» March 11, 2018
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Primitive thought
» February 4, 2018
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The first and true inventor
» January 20, 2018
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Instant stone (just add water!)
» January 6, 2018
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Twelve books from 2017
» December 31, 2017
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And they shall walk
» December 24, 2017
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Why did we wait so long for the cotton gin?
» November 25, 2017
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Pesticides and old lace
» November 4, 2017
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What was the relationship of the Scientific Revolution to the Industrial?
» October 29, 2017
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That Senator really took a beating
» October 17, 2017
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The most peaceful time in history
» September 21, 2017
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The shadow of the moon
» September 18, 2017
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The story of materials
» September 3, 2017
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Turning air into bread
» August 12, 2017
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Vaclav Smil on “Making the Modern World”
» July 15, 2017
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Charting progress
» July 11, 2017
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Smart, rich & free
» July 8, 2017
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Nomad life
» July 2, 2017
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The beginning
» June 25, 2017
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Categorizing technologies
» June 3, 2017
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Trains and steamboats
» May 25, 2017
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The Malthusian Trap, analyzed
» May 23, 2017
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The Malthusian Trap?
» May 21, 2017
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Better living through chemistry
» May 20, 2017
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There are no natural resources
» April 15, 2017
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What is smelting?
» April 15, 2017
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What is steel? And how is it related to iron?
» April 9, 2017
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What is charcoal? And how is it different from coal?
» April 9, 2017
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What is an “engine”?
» April 8, 2017
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The significance of the steam engine
» April 8, 2017
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James Watt's steam engine
» April 8, 2017
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The Newcomen steam engine
» April 2, 2017
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Religious freedom and the Enlightenment
» April 1, 2017
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The virtuousness of technology
» March 31, 2017
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The Baconian program
» March 30, 2017
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The idea of progress
» March 23, 2017
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Don't read this blog
» March 17, 2017
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Motivation
» March 17, 2017
Talks and interviews
Audio and video recordings—mostly me being interviewed, some talks or me interviewing others:
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Interview: Metamuse with Adam Wiggins and Mark McGranaghan
» December 14, 2020
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Video: The Non-Linear Model of Innovation (Slate Star Codex meetup)
» November 1, 2020
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Video: Five minutes on cement at Ignite Long Now
» October 27, 2020
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Video: Michael Strong on Montessori, the Socratic method, and Conscious Capitalism
» October 22, 2020
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Video: Manjari Narayan (@NeuroStats) on statistics past and present
» October 13, 2020
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Interview: Charter Cities Institute podcast with Mark Lutter
» October 7, 2020
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Interview: 52 Living Ideas with Shrikant Rangnekar
» October 4, 2020
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Video: Adam Wiggins on the history of industrial research labs
» September 26, 2020
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Video: Highlighter town hall with David King
» September 25, 2020
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Video: Adam Mossoff on the birth of patents, the American patent system, and “trolls”
» September 12, 2020
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Interview: Passionate Homeschooler with Joel Marquez
» September 7, 2020
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Interview: The Lunar Society with Dwarkesh Patel
» August 28, 2020
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Interview: AEI's Political Economy with Jim Pethokoukis
» August 24, 2020
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Interview: Venture Stories with Erik Torenberg
» August 16, 2020
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Interview: Post-Industrial Forum with Frode Odegard
» August 11, 2020
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Video: Progress Studies in K-12 Education with Ray Girn, Lisa VanDamme and Kyle Steele
» August 2, 2020
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Podcast interview: Build the Future with Cameron Wiese
» August 2, 2020
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Two new interviews: Salon of the Refused, Philosophy for Flourishing
» July 24, 2020
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Videos: Joel Mokyr, Anton Howes, Noor Siddiqui
» July 24, 2020
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Video: Deirdre McCloskey on bourgeois liberty and the Great Enrichment
» July 7, 2020
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Video: Tammy Winter and Trevor McKendrick on optimism, agency, and progress
» June 30, 2020
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Video: Max Roser on data-driven optimism, how to analyze COVID-19, and more
» June 25, 2020
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Video: Patrick Collison on R&D funding, Effective Altruism, fallibilism, and more
» June 18, 2020
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Video: Doing Better at Funding Scientific Research with Michael Nielsen and Celine Halioua
» June 18, 2020
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Two interviews: Neoliberal Podcast, Mr. Bright Side
» June 15, 2020
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Video: Tyler Cowen on progress, stagnation and complacency
» June 10, 2020
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Video of Matt Bateman on the life, career and philosophy of Maria Montessori
» June 5, 2020
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Talk recording: Progress studies and the progress movement, on 52 Living Ideas
» May 25, 2020
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Podcast Interview: Academy of Thought & Industry with Michael Strong
» May 21, 2020
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Podcast interview on Plugged In with Jordan McGillis
» April 29, 2020
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Interviews: Building Tomorrow, Antipessimists, Brown Political Review, Todd Nief
» March 2, 2020
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Two more interviews: Idea Machines, Only Everything
» February 17, 2020
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Interviews: Agora Politics, The Troubadour Magazine
» February 15, 2020
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Podcast interview: Palladium with Ash Milton
» January 27, 2020
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Podcast interview: Market Power with Craig Palsson
» January 23, 2020
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Podcast interview with Jordan Myers on “That's BS”
» October 27, 2019
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Podcast interview on Venture Stories with Erik Torenberg and Rob Tracinski
» October 17, 2019
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Podcast interview on “Self in Society” with Ari Armstrong
» September 22, 2019
See also the list of all interviews.
Announcements
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Monday: Interview with Lisa Wehden at Reboot 2020
» November 6, 2020
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Sunday: Talk at the Slate Star Codex meetup on the “linear model” of innovation
» October 22, 2020
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Event: Long Now Ignite talk
» October 13, 2020
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Wednesday: Manjari Narayan (@NeuroStats) on the history of statistics and the replication crisis
» October 4, 2020
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Sunday: Live interview with Shrikant Rangnekar of 52 Living Ideas
» September 24, 2020
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Event: Heroku founder Adam Wiggins on the history of industrial research
» September 17, 2020
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The Roots of Progress subscription: what would you be interested in?
» September 9, 2020
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Wednesday: Adam Mossoff on the philosophy and law of the patent system
» September 7, 2020
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Event: Town hall discussion on Highlighter
» September 2, 2020
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Sunday: Discussion of intellectual progress for LessWrong
» August 28, 2020
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Event: Jerry Neumann on managing innovation
» August 24, 2020
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Event: Dr. Laura Mazer, surgery professor at U. Michigan, on The Torch of Progress
» August 16, 2020
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Announcing the Study Group for Progress
» August 14, 2020
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Event: Progress Studies in K-12 Education with Ray Girn, Lisa VanDamme and Kyle Steele
» July 24, 2020
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Event: Joel Mokyr on “Attitudes, Aptitudes, and Progress: How the Modern Age Got Started”
» July 7, 2020
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What should I ask Deirdre McCloskey? Thursday 10am Pacific
» June 30, 2020
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What should I ask Max Roser?
» June 18, 2020
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Event: Doing Better at Staying Optimistic with Tamara Winter and Trevor McKendrick
» June 18, 2020
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Stripe Press to provide science & engineering books to Progress Studies for Young Scholars
» June 12, 2020
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Tyler Cowen, Patrick Collison, Max Roser, and Deirdre McCloskey on “The Torch of Progress”
» June 4, 2020
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New interview series: The Torch of Progress
» May 31, 2020
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Hosting a new Interintellect panel series: “Doing Better”
» May 25, 2020
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Where my support comes from
» May 21, 2020
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Saturday: Live interview about the field of progress studies
» May 21, 2020
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Announcing Progress Studies for Young Scholars, an online summer program in the history of technology
» May 19, 2020
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Tonight: Live interview on the race for a COVID-19 cure and the history of medicine
» April 8, 2020
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SF event this Friday: Co-hosting Long Now happy hour at The Interval
» January 22, 2020
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What podcasts should I go on?
» January 16, 2020
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Going full-time
» October 28, 2019
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Reddit community (subreddit) for Roots of Progress
» October 26, 2019
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Support this project on Patreon
» September 8, 2019
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Subscribe by email
» January 12, 2019
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Added a bibliography
» April 9, 2018