Pathways of Progress

The ultimate anthology of the past, present, and future of progress

Pathways of Progress is a living, evolving anthology of 60+ meticulously curated essays that distill the sharpest insights from nearly 200 sources. It represents the very best of Risk & Progress—six years in the making.

Part 1 tells the extraordinary story of human progress through the lens of physics’ first principles. It traces our species’ most remarkable achievements, from the invention of agriculture to the supercomputers we now carry in our pockets.

Part 2 is deliberately modular—you can read the essays in any order that suits you; it analyzes humanity's most pressing challenges and charts clear, actionable pathways toward building a brighter, more abundant future.

Remember to come back often—the anthology will keep growing, deepening, and improving as fresh research emerges and new essays are added. Subscribe for free and receive the first 7 essays sent directly to your inbox!

---

Part 1: The Paradox of Human Progress

A history of progress and how it works.

Progress: An Introduction

• What is Progress?

• Human Progress in 9 Charts

• Reality, Distorted

• Progress’s First Principles (To be deprecated)

A Brief History of Progress

• Dethroned by Discovery

• Bits of Being (Coming Soon)

• Negantropic Beings (Coming Soon)

• Deafening Silence

• The Fortuitous Planet

• Lifeless to Living (New version coming soon)

• Evolution’s Algorithm

• Rise of the Sapiens

• Harvesting Sunlight

• Smokestack Singularity (Part 1)

• Smokestack Singularity (Part 2)

• Homefront Liberation

• Bombs and Bananas

• Defying Malthus

• Sapien Sorcerers

How Progress Works

• Harnessing Heat

• Time Travelers

• People Power and Progress

• The Social Supercomputer

• Igniting Ideas

• Experience Curves

• Billionaire Planet

• Pollution’s Peak

• Measurement Maladies

• Scaling Kardashev

• Protopia’s Precipice

---

Part 2: Planning for Prosperity

The perils we face and how to build a prosperous future

A Risky, But Hopeful, Future

• A Forgotten Future

• Singularity’s Schism

• The Time of Perils

• Accelerate

• Harmonious Horizon

Energy

• The Energy Cliff

• The Processed Food Paradox

• Surcharging Sugar

People

• Empty Earth

• Baby Boom

• Trillions on the Sidewalk (Managing Migration-Coming Soon)

• Managing Migration

• Solving Sickcare (Revolutionizing Healthcare-Coming Soon)

• Rescuing Retirement

Education and Innovation

• Devalued Dreams

• Patent Failure

• Dynamos of Discovery

• Education Reimagined (Community Learning Hubs)

• Campuses of Creation

• Patents vs Prizes

• Perfecting Patents

The Economy

• The Housing Theory of Everything

• Colossal Cities

• Costly Contagion

• Undermining Unity

• The Invisible Graveyard

• Entangled by Entitlements

• Ports, Prosperity, and Peace

• The Dark Side of Property

• Tax the Land

• The Bounty Beneath

• Consumption Conundrums

Government

• Democracy’s Demise

• Streamlining the State

• Scales Skewed

• Judge, Jury, and Justice (Coming Soon)

• Dust Dome Democracy

• Blending Brainpower

---