Jason Crawford on How Technology Expands Human Choice and Control

Jason Crawford, founder of the Roots of Progress Institute, joins the podcast to discuss The Techno-Humanist Manifesto, his book exploring his philosophy of progress centered around human life and wellbeing. In our conversation, we dive into the core arguments of the manifesto:

• How we are more in control of our lives than ever before
• Why we should reframe the goal of “stopping climate change” into “controlling climate change” and work toward installing a “thermostat for the Earth”
• The value of nature and its interaction with humanity

— Allowing ourselves to celebrate human achievement and industrial civilization

• The concept of “solutionism”, as a kind of optimism that acknowledges risks while keeping a proactive attitude towards solving problems
• Why two common fears around the slowing of progress – that we could run out of natural resources or new ideas – are actually unfounded
• The possibility that AI represents a transformation as significant as the Industrial Revolution or the invention of agriculture
• How to rebuild a culture of progress in the 21st century, from reforming scientific institutions to creating new, non-dystopian science fiction