Draft:Progress Studies
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Progress studies is an intellectual movement focused on "figuring out why progress happens and how to make it happen faster." The movement was formalized by a 2019 article for The Atlantic entitled "We Need a New Science of Progress" by Tyler Cowen and Patrick Collison. [1]
The movement examines progress in standards of living through the lens of science, technology, economics, history, philosophy and culture. It includes work on the definition and measurement of progress, as well policies and programs aimed at improving the rate of technological innovation.[2].
Progress studies has influenced broader political discourse, notably in the United States of America. New York Times columnist Ezra Klein wrote, in response to Cowen and Collison's article, "the questions animating progress studies aren’t mere academic exercises; they are central to understanding how we can bring about a better future for all."[3] In a subsequent article about supply-side progressivism, Klein wrote that progressive politics "requires a movement that takes innovation as seriously as it takes affordability."[4]
Following publication of the article, Cowen and Collison were hosted by Mark Zuckerburg for a podcast.[5] Around the same time, Jason Crawford committed full-time to his popular blog ‘The Roots of Progress’, calling for “a clearer understanding of the nature of progress, its causes, its value and importance, how we can manage its costs and risks, and ultimately how we can accelerate progress while ensuring that it is beneficial to humanity”.[6] Elsewhere, the online magazine ‘Works in Progress’ was established by Sam Bowman, Saloni Dattani, Ben Southwood and Nick Whitaker in 2020, “dedicated to sharing new and underrated ideas to improve the world”.[7] The publication was later purchased by Stripe Press in 2022.[8] Alec Stapp and Caleb Watney founded the ‘Institute for Progress’ think tank in 2021, a “non-partisan research and advocacy organization dedicated to accelerating scientific, technological, and industrial progress while safeguarding humanity’s future”.[9]