Aside from the online course in Progress Studies, what are some of the best resources you could share with a high school or college student if you want them to be interested in progress?
Traditional high school/​college curriculums often introduce ideas that seem likely to make people less excited about progress (e.g. degrowth as a moral imperative, population growth as net-negative, discussions of technology risk without corresponding discussions of technology’s benefits). I’m interested in resources that could provide a counterpoint to this.
There isn’t a lot out there. In addition to my own work, I would suggest Steven Pinker’s Enlightenment Now and perhaps David Deutsch’s The Beginning of Infinity. Those are some of the best sources on the philosophy of progress. Also Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, which is the only novel I know of that portrays science, engineering and business as a noble quest for the betterment of humanity.
Aside from the online course in Progress Studies, what are some of the best resources you could share with a high school or college student if you want them to be interested in progress?
Traditional high school/​college curriculums often introduce ideas that seem likely to make people less excited about progress (e.g. degrowth as a moral imperative, population growth as net-negative, discussions of technology risk without corresponding discussions of technology’s benefits). I’m interested in resources that could provide a counterpoint to this.
There isn’t a lot out there. In addition to my own work, I would suggest Steven Pinker’s Enlightenment Now and perhaps David Deutsch’s The Beginning of Infinity. Those are some of the best sources on the philosophy of progress. Also Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, which is the only novel I know of that portrays science, engineering and business as a noble quest for the betterment of humanity.
Thank you for the reply!