by Michael Magoon | Nov 5, 2021 | Constraints to Progress
This is the first post for an ongoing series about constraints to the diffusion of progress. If this is the first post that you have ever read on my blog, I would recommend starting with An Introduction to Progress: Mankind’s Greatest Accomplishment, and then...
by Michael Magoon | Oct 13, 2021 | Basics of Progress
I founded this website partly to help give structure to the emerging field of Progress Studies. Today Progress Studies is more of an idea than a reality. It consists of a very loose grouping of people who are interested in the concept of progress and think that it is...
by Michael Magoon | May 24, 2021 | Measuring Progress
This post is part of an ongoing series of posts on measuring progress in the world. In each of the post, I focus on one specific metric. This post focuses on sanitation. The series starts with “How Do We Measure Progress?“ Sanitation systems are one of the most...
by Michael Magoon | May 10, 2021 | Measuring Progress
This post is part of an ongoing series of posts on measuring progress in the world. In each of the post, I focus on one specific metric. This post focuses on Per Capita GDP. The series starts with “How Do We Measure Progress?“ Economic growth is central to progress....
by Michael Magoon | May 6, 2021 | Measuring Progress
This is part 1 of a lengthy series of posts on measuring progress. Each post will consist of one means of measuring progress. In all these posts will present numeric data proving that progress exists today and it is widespread, even among the poorest nations. In this...
by Michael Magoon | May 5, 2021 | Society Types
After decades of studying world history, I have come the conclusion that one cannot understand current progress without a solid understanding of history. The reason is simple: the causes of progress today are fundamentally the same as the causes of progress today. By...
by Michael Magoon | Apr 29, 2021 | Innovation
The concept of innovation has been all the rage in 21st Century America. No matter where one looks – books, media or corporate board rooms – there is a focus on this concept. And for good reason. Innovation is critical to progress. I would like to make the claim,...
by Michael Magoon | Apr 27, 2021 | Causes of Progress
Yesterday I watched a science documentary entitled “Living Universe” with my 10-year-old son. The documentary was on Curiosity Stream, an online streaming website which I highly recommend. “Living Universe” is about scientists searching for life on “exoplanets”...
by Michael Magoon | Apr 26, 2021 | Cultural Evolution
I believe that “Cultural evolution” is an important concept that helps us to understand the origins of human progress. Cultural evolution is one of the hottest topics of the last few decades. Insightful thinkers such as Peter Richerson, Robert Boyd, Joseph...
by Michael Magoon | Apr 24, 2021 | Innovation
An interesting analogy for technological innovation is trying to solve a jigsaw puzzle. Each piece of the puzzle represents an existing technology. The finished puzzle represents a new technology. Jigsaw puzzles typically come in boxes that contains all the necessary...
