Rethinking how we think about progress

"Progress studies is a diverse space, bringing together people with varied interests, priorities, and areas of expertise. What has united this bunch intellectually, though, has been the shared belief that the world is not as it could (read: should be), and we have both the ability and the responsibility to rewire its systems to create a materially abundant, culturally optimistic future."

"By way of metaphor, this is like identifying a physical ailment (the problem), concocting a pharmaceutical intervention (the solution), and then needing to determine the best delivery method for your wonder drug (the meta-problem of implementation). In many cases, the efficacy of the solution is directly tied to the delivery method - imagine a vaccine that does nothing if administered as a pill, but that generates a protective immune response if delivered via an injection."

Progress studies unites diverse experts around creating material abundance and cultural optimism by rewiring systems. Conversations have shifted from identifying discrete problems and proposing direct solutions toward focusing on implementation strategies and theories of change. Many issues are framed as a problem paired with an assumed best solution, but real-world success often depends on delivery and institutional pathways. Examples include building nuclear for AI energy needs, changing funding structures to accelerate science, and increasing housing supply to address scarcity. Emphasizing implementation reveals that solution efficacy is contingent on how interventions are delivered, reflecting intellectual maturation and meta-science application to social change.

Read at Big Think