Pathways of Progress

The world's first "organic eBook;" an essay compilation that will never finish

Pathways of Progress is a living, evolving compilation of 60+ carefully curated essays, distilling insights from over 150 sources…the very best from Risk & Progress. Six years in the making (and counting), this series delves into the amazing paradoxes of human progress, exploring how and why our species has achieved so much, while acknowledging the grave perils we face in the 21st century. What sets Pathways apart is that it doesn’t stop at analysis and diagnosis. It goes further — also offering realistic prescriptions to confront these perils and actionable ideas for building a brighter, more abundant future.

Think of Pathways of Progress as an essay compilation that is never finished. It grows and improves organically over time — expanding, deepening, and refining as new research emerges, fresh ideas develop, and new essays are added. Subscribe for free and receive the first 7 essays sent directly to your inbox!

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Part 1: The Paradox of Human Progress

The origins and counterintuitive nature of progress (approx 40,000 words and 100 sources).

• What is Progress?

• Human Progress in 9 Charts

• Our Reality Distortion Field

• Progress’s First Principles

• A Cosmic Oddity (Dethroned by Discovery-Coming Soon)

• Deafening Silence

• The Fortuitous Planet

• Lifeless to Living

• 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

• 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

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Part 2: The Perils of Progress

Evaluating the most pressing threats to our future.

• A Forgotten Future

• The Energy Cliff

• The Processed Food Paradox

• Empty Earth

• Devalued Dreams

• Patent Failure

• The Invisible Graveyard

• The Housing Theory of Everything

• Costly Contagion

• Entangled by Entitlements

• Undermining Unity

• Democracy’s Demise

• Mechanical Monarchs

• Singularity’s Schism

• The Time of Perils

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Part 3: Planning for Prosperity

Examining practical ideas to accelerate human progress into the 22nd Century.

• Accelerate

• God From the Machine

• Streamlining the State

• Judge, Jury, and Justice (Coming Soon)

• Ports, Prosperity, and Peace

• The Dark Side of Property

• Tax the Land

• The Bounty Beneath

• Consumption Conundrums

• Colossal Cities

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

• Managing Migration

• Dynamos of Discovery

• Education Reimagined (Community Learning Hubs)

• Campuses of Creation

• Patents vs Prizes

• Perfecting Patents

• Baby Boom

• Solving Sickcare (Revolutionizing Healthcare-Coming Soon)

• Surcharging Sugar

• Rescuing Retirement

• Dust Dome Democracy

• Blending Brainpower

• Harmonious Horizon

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