Though it seems like the world is in shambles, humanity has progressed quite impressively when you look at virtually any length of history. Our modern society has produced a slew of nice things that would have been hard to fathom 50 years ago, much less 250 years ago- smartphones, duct tape, GPS. They’ve all, to greater or lesser degrees, made our lives better and that’s simply looking at consumer goods. Think of other clear markers like infant mortality, literacy rates, longer lifespans and how they all point to incredible progress. But how did those innovations and that abundance come about? Why does 2025 look so radically different in the developed world than 1825? Marian Tupy’s book Superabundance explains it all and demonstrates how far we’ve come in easy-to-understand language. Marian Tupy is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute. He’s also the founder and editor of HumanProgress.org, a site that seeks to evidence these dramatic improvements. Listen as we cover how:

Progress is not guaranteed and can regress under certain conditions
Life expectancy has dramatically increased over the last 200 years
Economic freedom and openness to trade drive prosperity
Nostalgia often overlooks the harsh realities of the past
Environmental concerns can be addressed through innovation and technology
Time prices illustrate the abundance of resources available today
Gratitude for our current circumstances can lead to greater happiness
And plenty more!

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Superabundance: The Story of Population Growth, Innovation, and Human Flourishing on an Infinitely Bountiful Planet is the book and HumanProgress.org is the site!
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