#47 – Jason Crawford on Progress Studies

Jason Crawford is the founder of The Roots of Progress, a nonprofit dedicated to establishing a new philosophy of progress for the 21st century. He writes and speaks about the history and philosophy of progress, especially in technology and industry. In our conversation we discuss — What progress is, and why it matters (maybe more than you think) How to think about resource constraints — why they are sometimes both real and surmountable The 'low-hanging fruit' explanation for stagnation, and prospects for speeding up innovation Tradeoffs between progress and (existential) safety Differences between the Progress Studies and Effective Altruism communities You can read more about the topics we cover in this episode's write-up: hearthisidea.com/episodes/crawford If you have any feedback or suggestions for future guests, feel free to get in touch through our website. Consider leaving us a review wherever you're listening to this — it's the best free way to support the show. If you want to support the show more directly, consider leaving a tip. Thanks for listening!