The Story of Industrial Civilization: What Should We Do?

Progress writer Jason Crawford is writing a book about the modern world and how it was invented. In a series of salons, we will explore this content together, chapter by chapter, and get an inside look at the author’s creative process.

NOTE: This closing event is only open to series ticket holders.

Behind the world of our daily lives, there is a hidden world, one that keeps our world running. It is an industrial world, one of factories, engines, chemicals, and infrastructure, that most people rarely notice or appreciate. But every piece of it is a solution to a problem: a way to satisfy human needs in the face of nature’s constraints.

Session 13 – What Should We Do?

Progress is possible. Progress is desirable. How can we keep it going? Is progress slowing down, and why? What are the root causes of progress, anyway? In this final session of the series, we’ll explore the prescriptions implied by our study of progress so far. We’ll discuss the philosophical and cultural underpinnings of progress, including how society used to celebrate progress. We’ll sketch out the new philosophy of progress that we need, and the future of the progress movement that promotes it. And we’ll close with an inspirational message to scientists, inventors, and entrepreneurs.

Crawford will open the salon by talking about his research and writing on the topic so far, followed by discussion and Q&A.

Image credit: Joby Aviation

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