What will I learn about: Thanks to advances in urban sanitation and evidence-based medicine, global life expectancy has more than doubled since the early twentieth century?

Thanks to advances in urban sanitation and evidence-based medicine, global life expectancy has more than doubled since the early twentieth century.

What will I learn about: The expansion of global trade, mechanization, and the dismantling of oppressive regimes have driven extreme global poverty to an all-time low?

The expansion of global trade, mechanization, and the dismantling of oppressive regimes have driven extreme global poverty to an all-time low.

What will I learn about: Environmental protection is heavily dependent on economic prosperity, as nations consistently prioritize conservation and cleaner technologies once their basic survival needs are met?

Environmental protection is heavily dependent on economic prosperity, as nations consistently prioritize conservation and cleaner technologies once their basic survival needs are met.

What will I learn about: We are currently living in one of the most peaceful eras in history, largely because global commerce makes value exchange far more profitable than warfare and plunder?

We are currently living in one of the most peaceful eras in history, largely because global commerce makes value exchange far more profitable than warfare and plunder.

What will I learn about: Rising global affluence and mass literacy campaigns have nearly eradicated child labor while fostering significantly more tolerant, democratic, and egalitarian societies?

Rising global affluence and mass literacy campaigns have nearly eradicated child labor while fostering significantly more tolerant, democratic, and egalitarian societies.

Progress

Ten Reasons to Look Forward to the Future

Johan Norberg

★ 4.6 / 5(43 ratings)

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Society & Culture Technology & the Future

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

💡How does the 'bell-shaped curve' of national wealth challenge the common belief that economic prosperity is the primary enemy of environmental conservation?
💡In what ways did the shift from relying on plunder to engaging in global commerce drastically reduce the lethality and frequency of wars between nations?
💡What specific historical and technological catalysts caused extreme global poverty to plummet from over 44 percent in 1981 to under 10 percent in 2015?

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Key Takeaways from Progress

✓Thanks to advances in urban sanitation and evidence-based medicine, global life expectancy has more than doubled since the early twentieth century.
✓The expansion of global trade, mechanization, and the dismantling of oppressive regimes have driven extreme global poverty to an all-time low.
✓Environmental protection is heavily dependent on economic prosperity, as nations consistently prioritize conservation and cleaner technologies once their basic survival needs are met.
✓We are currently living in one of the most peaceful eras in history, largely because global commerce makes value exchange far more profitable than warfare and plunder.
✓Rising global affluence and mass literacy campaigns have nearly eradicated child labor while fostering significantly more tolerant, democratic, and egalitarian societies.

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Progress

The Optimistic Perspective+

Defeating Hunger+

Health & Longevity+

Wealth & Poverty+

Violence & Peace+

Environment+

Education+

Equality & Freedom+

The Future+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 8

What does the author identify as a primary driver for the rapid decrease in global hunger starting in the nineteenth century?

A. The invention of synthetic food substitutes.
B. Strict government price controls on essential crops.
C. Granting property rights to farmers and opening borders to global trade.
D. The global transition from agricultural to industrial economies.

Question 2 of 8

How did physician John Snow contribute to a major medical breakthrough in the nineteenth century?

A. He mapped a cholera outbreak to contaminated water, leading to modern sanitation systems.
B. He discovered penicillin, which drastically reduced infection rates.
C. He developed the first mass-vaccination program for polio.
D. He introduced the concept of evidence-based medicine to the English royal court.

Question 3 of 8

According to the book, what is the most appropriate question to ask regarding the history of human economics?

A. "What causes poverty?"
B. "How can we achieve perfect equality?"
C. "Why do socialist governments fail?"
D. "What drives prosperity?"

Question 4 of 8

Why has global commerce contributed to a decline in violence between states?

A. It makes it more profitable to produce and exchange value rather than relying on plunder.
B. It has led to the creation of a single global currency, making wars too expensive.
C. It forces all nations to maintain large, mutually assured destructive arsenals.
D. It requires states to sign non-aggression pacts before participating in global trade.

Question 5 of 8

What is the relationship between national wealth and environmental damage, according to the text?

A. A linear increase: as countries get richer, they cause more environmental damage indefinitely.
B. A linear decrease: wealthy countries have always produced less pollution than poor countries.
C. A bell-shaped curve: damage increases initially with wealth, but decreases once basic needs are met.
D. No correlation: environmental damage is determined purely by a country's population size.

Question 6 of 8

What positive trend has been observed in the ratio of girls to boys enrolled in education in most low- and middle-income countries today?

A. It has remained stagnant at around eight girls for every ten boys since 1990.
B. It has improved to almost an equal 1:1 ratio.
C. It has widened dramatically due to the increasing costs of higher education.
D. It has reversed, with boys now significantly trailing behind girls in primary education.

Question 7 of 8

How does financial security influence a society's level of tolerance?

A. It decreases tolerance because wealthy individuals become highly protective of their assets.
B. It has no effect; tolerance is driven exclusively by religious and philosophical institutions.
C. It leads to strict social hierarchies that limit the rights of minority groups.
D. It increases tolerance because financially secure people are less likely to view others' civil rights as a threat to their own welfare.

Question 8 of 8

What economic concept helps explain why child labor has drastically declined worldwide?

A. The "opportunity cost," which makes child labor more expensive than adult labor.
B. The "labor surplus," which means there are too many adults competing for the same jobs.
C. The "skill premium," which makes it more sensible to invest in educating children for specialized jobs.
D. The "industrial subsidy," which pays parents directly to keep their children out of factories.

Progress — Full Chapter Overview

1Recommendation
2Hunger is gradually fading away thanks to better food production.
3Better sanitation and modern medicine have greatly boosted how long we live.
4People today are richer than before and extreme poverty is at a historic low.
5We are living through one of the most peaceful times in human history.
6Our natural world is also gaining from rising prosperity across the globe.
7Schooling and learning have surged worldwide over the past two centuries.
8Democracy and tolerance worldwide have expanded freedom and reduced inequality.
9The next generations can carry forward and extend the progress we’ve achieved.

Progress Summary & Overview

Progress (2016) is a broadside against the naysayers and pessimists who argue that things are constantly getting worse. Citing improvements in freedom, equality, health and wealth as evidence, Johan Norberg argues that we’ve made huge strides toward a better world. In fact, our species has never been better off. But that’s not the only gladdening news. If current trends are anything to go by, we’re also in for a rosy future.

Who Should Listen to Progress?

Pessimists who think the glass is always half empty
Politics nerds who love a good argument
Futurologists who want a picture of tomorrow’s world

About the Author: Johan Norberg

Johan Norberg is a Swedish writer, historian and senior fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute. He has written widely on economic topics and is the author of multiple acclaimed titles, including In Defense of Global Capitalism and Financial Fiasco.

Progress

If You're Curious About These Questions...

Listen to Progress — Free Audiobook

Key Takeaways from Progress

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Mind Map

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Progress — Full Chapter Overview

Progress Summary & Overview

Who Should Listen to Progress?

About the Author: Johan Norberg

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