Progress is a concept the unites much of this library. While in some sense, all of the books and articles involve topics related to progress, most do not explicitly mention the term. Fortunately, there has been a rapidly growing number of books that deal directly with progress as a concept. Most consist of many charts and graphs, which in sum prove that things have gotten better over the last few decades. A few also attempt to explain why progress exists.
If there is a book that you find particularly interesting, please support the author by buying the book. I recommend that you read these book summaries in the following order:
- “Factfulness: Why Things are Better Than You Think” by Hans Rosling
- “Ten Global Trends Every Smart Person Should Know” by Bailey and Tupy
- “Enlightenment Now” by Steven Pinker
- “The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves” by Matt Ridley
- “Progress: Ten Reasons to Look Forward to the Future” by Johan Norberg
- “Stubborn Attachments: A Vision for a Society of Free, Prosperous, and Responsible Individuals” by Tyler Cowen
- “Future Perfect: The Case for Progress In a Networked Age” by Steven Johnson
- “Abundance: The Future Is Better than You Think” by Diamandis and Kotler
- “More From Less” by Andrew McAfee
- “The Progress Paradox” by Gregg Easterbrook
If you would like to learn more about Progress, read my book From Poverty to Progress: How Humans Invented Progress, and How We Can Keep It Going.
The Ratchet of Technology, a site by Michael Magoon 