Jason Crawford

1 week ago | newsletter.rootsofprogress.org | Jason Crawford

Previously: The Problem-Solving Animal, part 1, in which we argued that growth is not limited by so-called “natural” resources—which are actually not natural at all, but the product of knowledge. If ideas, not resources, drive economic growth, then one might well ask: will we run out of ideas? Some think we already have.

3 weeks ago | newsletter.rootsofprogress.org | Jason Crawford

Previously: The Flywheel, part 1 and part 2I feel sorry for the Rev. Thomas Malthus. He was doomed to be misremembered by history. His Essay on the Principle of Population is remembered as a prophecy of scarcity. But Malthus’s focus was how to deal with scarcity, which he took as a given. The subtitle of his book promised “remarks on the speculations of Mr. Godwin, M. Condorcet, and other writers”—utopian thinkers whose visions of the ideal society included universal welfare.

4 weeks ago | newsletter.rootsofprogress.org | Jason Crawford

It’s been way too long since the last links digest, which means I have way too much to catch up on. I had to cut many interesting bits to get this one out the door. Much of this content originated on social media.To follow news and announcements in a more timely fashion, follow me on Twitter, Notes, Farcaster, Bluesky, or Threads.

1 month ago | newsletter.rootsofprogress.org | Jason Crawford

Previously: The Flywheel, part 1In part 1 of this chapter, we saw that the long-term pattern of growth is one of acceleration. But the standard disclaimer for financial investments also applies to human progress: past performance does not guarantee future results. Indeed, some claim that growth in the West has already slowed, at least compared to its peak around the first half of the 20th century.

1 month ago | newsletter.rootsofprogress.org | Jason Crawford

In the progress movement, some cause areas are about technical breakthroughs, such as fusion power or a cure for aging. In other areas, the problems are not technical, but social. Housing, for instance, is technologically a solved problem. We know how to build houses, but housing is blocked by law and activism. The YIMBY movement is now well established and gaining momentum in the fight against the regulations and culture that hold back housing.