The Human Progress Podcast
Episodes
Meaning and Morality in the Modern Age
24 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Steven Pinker joins Marian Tupy to discuss the so-called "crisis of meaning," the decline of religion, and what can give life purpose in a m...
Discontent in the Age of Plenty | Brink Lindsey | Ep. 74
27 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Our editor Marian Tupy speaks with writer and policy scholar Brink Lindsey about his new book The Permanent Problem: The Uncertain Transition from Mas...
Environmentalism Without Degrowth | Zion Lights | Ep. 73
10 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Environmentalists often claim that solving climate change requires scarcity: less energy, less consumption, and less economic growth.Zion Lights, a fo...
The Pattern Behind History's Golden Ages | Johan Norberg | Ep. 72
23 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Johan Norberg examines the conditions that create human flourishing and why golden ages so often come to an end.Buy his book, Peak Human.
The Misdiagnosis of American Mental Health | Chris Ferguson | Ep. 71
09 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Psychologist Chris Ferguson joins Adam Omary to discuss American mental health, cognitive biases, and the dangers of narrative overreach.Buy his book,...
American Poverty Is a Measurement Problem | Scott Winship | Ep. 71
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Scott Winship joins Marian Tupy to discuss how bad measurement choices distort the picture of poverty and inequality in the United States.
The New Right Manufactures Misery
08 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Yaron Brook joins Marian Tupy to discuss the pessimistic populism of the New Right.
Milei Midterms: An Update on Argentina | Marcos Falcone | Ep. 69
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Policy analyst Marcos Falcone joins Chelsea Follett to discuss Milei’s recent electoral success and the economic reforms he might pursue using this ...
How Liberty Made Progress Possible | Peter Boettke | Ep. 68
09 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Peter Boettke joins Marian Tupy to examine the institutional foundations of the modern world. Check out his book, The Historical Path to Liberty and H...
Authoritarian Threats to Campus Free Speech | Sarah McLaughlin | Ep. 67
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah McLaughlin joins Chelsea Follett to discuss the rising influence of foreign authoritarian governments on college campuses.Check out her book, Au...
Growth Comes From Ideas, Not Degrees | Bryan Caplan | Ep. 66
29 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Bryan Caplan joins Marian Tupy to discuss the relationship between formal education and innovation.Check out his book, The Case against Education.
Is Progress Making Us Miserable? | Tim Lomas | Ep. 65
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Psychology researcher Tim Lomas joins Chelsea Follett to explore surprising global trends in happiness, meaning, mental health, and more.
The False History of American Capitalism | Donald Boudreaux | Ep. 64
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Economist Donald Boudreaux joins Marian Tupy to discuss important misconceptions about American economic history and why it’s crucial to set the rec...
Why the West Turned on Itself | Maarten Boudry | Ep. 63
20 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Philosopher and author Maarten Boudry joins Chelsea Follett to examine the cultural and ideological roots of Western anti-Western sentiment.
Progress, Classical Liberalism, and the New Right | Tyler Cowen | Ep. 62
30 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tyler Cowen joins Marian Tupy to discuss the New Right, the relationship between freedom and progress, and whether classical liberalism is equipped to...
Open Societies and Closed Minds | Matt Johnson | Ep. 61
23 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Marian Tupy speaks with writer and political thinker Matt Johnson about historicism, progress, and how tribalism and the “desire for recognition” ...
Promoting Parenthood in a Free Society | Stephanie Murray | Ep. 60
02 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Stephanie Murray joins Chelsea Follett to discuss discourse around falling birth rates, the tension between pro-natalism and classical liberal values,...
An Update on the Trump Tariffs | Scott Lincicome | Ep. 59
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Scott Lincicome joins Marian Tupy to discuss how President Trump's trade policies will affect American prosperity, national security, government reven...
Global Trade Has Made Us Richer | Daniel Griswold | Ep. 58
12 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel Griswold, the former director of the Cato Institute’s Center for Trade Policy Studies, joins Chelsea Follett to discuss the true legacy of gl...
The Psychology of Progress | Clay Routledge | Ep. 57
07 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Existential psychologist Clay Routledge joins Chelsea Follett to discuss how Americans think about the future, recent trends in mental health, the all...
How Europe Can Return to Growth | Jon Moynihan | Ep. 56
13 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jon Moynihan, a businessman, author, and life peer, joins Marian Tupy to discuss why economic growth matters and how the UK and other social democraci...
Myths About American Inequality | John Early | Ep. 55
15 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
John Early, a mathematical economist and adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute, joins Chelsea Follett to discuss popular misconceptions about inequali...
The Rise of Wealth Equality in the West | Daniel Waldenström | Ep. 54
26 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel Waldenström, a professor of economics at the Research Institute of Industrial Economics, joins Chelsea Follett to discuss the decline of wealt...
Digital Technology and the Regulatory State | Jennifer Huddleston | Ep. 53
27 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jennifer Huddleston, a senior fellow in technology policy at the Cato Institute, joins Chelsea Follett to discuss the benefits of digital technologies...
How Nations Escape Poverty | Rainer Zitelmann | Ep. 52
02 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
World-renowned historian and sociologist Rainer Zitelmann joins Chelsea Follett to discuss the ideas, attitudes, and policies that allowed Poland and ...
The Global Rise in Censorship | David Inserra | Ep. 51
03 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
David Inserra, a fellow for free expression and technology at the Cato Institute, joins Chelsea Follett to discuss recent attacks on free speech and h...
The Democratization of Investment | Jennifer Schulp | Ep. 50
07 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jennifer Schulp, the director of financial regulation studies at the Cato Institute’s Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives, joins Chelsea ...
Human Work in the Age of Artificial Intelligence | Jay Richards | Ep. 49
03 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jay Richards, a senior research fellow and center director at The Heritage foundation, joins Chelsea Follett to discuss why robots and artificial inte...
Measuring Freedom and Flourishing | Leandro Prados de la Escosura | Ep. 48
05 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Leandro Prados de la Escosura, Emeritus Professor of Economic History at Carlos III University in Spain, joins Chelsea Follett to discuss long term tr...
The New American Energy Landscape | Travis Fisher | Ep. 47
01 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Travis Fisher, the director of energy and environmental policy studies at the Cato Institute, joins Chelsea Follett to discuss recent developments in ...
Javier Milei and the Future of Latin America | Daniel Raisbeck | Ep. 46
10 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel Raisbeck, a policy analyst on Latin America at the Cato Institute’s Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, joins Chelsea Follett to discus...
The Promise of Cryptocurrency | Jack Solowey | Ep. 45
03 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jack Solowey, a policy analyst at the Cato Institute focusing on financial technology, joins Chelsea Follett to discuss the potential benefits of cryp...
Reclaiming Our Sci-Fi Future | James Pethokoukis | Ep. 44
06 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
James Pethokoukis, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, joins Chelsea Follett to discuss how we can reignite American optimism and bu...
Climate activism has a cult problem | Zion Lights | Ep. 43
08 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Climate activism has a cult problem
Unlocking Africa's Potential | David Ansara | Ep. 42
14 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
David Ansara, the Chief Executive of the Free Market Foundation, a South African think tank, joins Chelsea Follett to discuss progress and problems in...
Anti-Racism vs. True Empowerment | Erec Smith | Ep. 41
16 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Erec Smith, a Professor of Rhetoric and the co-founder of Free Black Thought, joins Chelsea Follett to discuss the problems with critical social justi...
Small Technologies Can Solve the Planet's Biggest Problems | Todd Myers | Ep. 40
01 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Todd Myers, a director at the Washington Policy Center, joins Chelsea Follett to discuss how technology empowers individuals to protect the environmen...
The Dangers of ESG | Todd Zywicki | Ep. 39
14 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Todd Zywicki joins Chelsea Follett to discuss environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) and the threat it poses to innovation, e...
The Poverty of Slavery | Robert Wright | Ep. 38
17 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Robert Wright, a Senior Fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research, joins Chelsea Follett to discuss the history of slavery and the damage...
The Economic Madness of Malthusianism | Stephen Barrows | Ep. 37
16 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The economist Stephen Barrows joins Chelsea Follett to discuss the intellectual history of population economics, the benefits of population growth, an...
Nuclear Fusion and the Future of Clean Energy | Christopher Barnard | Ep. 36
27 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Chris Barnard, the Vice President of External Affairs at the American Conservation Coalition, joins Chelsea Follett to discuss recent innovations...
How AI Could Shape the Future | Will Duffield | Ep. 35
07 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Will Duffield joins Chelsea Follett to discuss recent advances in artificial intelligence, how they can improve our lives, and the challenges they may...
What Made the Modern World | Stephen Davies | Ep. 34
16 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How did the modern dynamist economy of wealth and opportunity come about? Author and Head of Education at the Institute of Economic Affairs Stephen Da...
Deirdre McCloskey: Innovation Begins in Our Minds
04 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Economic historian Deirdre McCloskey speaks to HumanProgress editor Marian Tupy about economics, hierarchy, and how liberal ideas led to the modern wo...
Uplifting Workers in Today's America | Scott Lincicome | Ep. 33
14 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Since at least the 2016 U.S. presidential election, policymakers on the right and the left have lamented the plight of the "American Worker" and promi...
Free-Market Conservation and Environmental Optimism | Hannah Downey | Ep. 32
29 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Can Markets Protect Nature? Hannah Downey is the policy director at PERC, helping to bring free market solutions to environmental policy challenges. H...
Maria Chaplia: An Update on Ukraine | The Human Progress Podcast Ep. 25
22 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ukrainian lawyer and economist Maria Chaplia joins Chelsea Follett to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine. Transcript: https://www.humanprogress....
Build for the Future | Jason Feifer | The Human Progress Podcast Ep. 31
26 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Author and optimist Jason Feifer joins Chelsea Follett to discuss change, why we fear it, and how we can embrace it to build a better future. Build fo...
Nuclear Energy, Space and Humanity's Future | Robert Zubrin | The Human Progress Podcast Ep. 30
22 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Robert Zubrin is an aerospace engineer and the author of several books on space exploration, with a particular focus on Mars. His work has been subjec...
Why building is our safest way forward | Gena Gorlin | The Human Progress Podcast Ep. 29
08 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Psychologist Gena Gorlin argues that internalizing the universe's tendency toward death and disorder can help us appreciate what we have and compel us...
Rosemarie Fike: Women and Progress | The Human Progress Podcast Ep. 28
24 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rosemarie Fike joins Chelsea Follett to discuss the importance of economic freedom to women's wellbeing. Transcript: https://www.humanprogress.o...
Gret Glyer: An App to Fight Global Poverty? | The Human Progress Podcast Ep. 27
10 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Chelsea Follett speaks to Gret Gyler, the founder and CEO of DonorSee, about his private-sector alternative to the traditional foreign aid model. &nbs...
Dr Kristian Niemietz: Socialism: The Failed Idea That Never Dies | The Human Progress Podcast Ep. 26
20 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Kristian Niemietz and Marian Tupy discuss socialism, its history of failure, and its recent resurgence in popularity. Transcript: https://ww...
Axel Kaiser: Political and Economic Changes in Chile | The Human Progress Podcast Ep. 24
11 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Political scientist Axel Kaiser joins Marian Tupy to discuss progress in Chile and the political changes that threaten the country's future. Tr...
Jacob Mchangama: Free Speech from Socrates to Social Media | The Human Progress Podcast Ep. 23
04 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Danish lawyer and author Jacob Mchangama joins Chelsea Follett to discuss the history of free speech and how it protects liberty and democracy. ...
Isaac Arthur: Next 100 Years of Progress | The Human Progress Podcast Ep. 22
18 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Futurist Isaac Arthur joins Chelsea Follett to discuss humanity's next century. Transcript: https://www.humanprogress.org/isaac-arthur-the-human...
Mark Henry: In Fact: An Optimist’s Guide to Ireland at 100 | The Human Progress Podcast Ep. 21
04 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Psychologist and Author Mark Henry joins Marian Tupy to discuss Ireland's incredible economic transformation. Mark Henry trained as a psychologi...
Matt Warner: Development with Dignity | The Human Progress Podcast Ep. 20
20 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Warner, president of Atlas Network, argues that international development works best when it respects human dignity, local knowledge, and self-de...
Vincent Geloso: Fighting Pandemics with Economic Freedom | The Human Progress Podcast Ep.19
10 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Economics Professor Vincent Geloso joins Chelsea Follett to discuss how freedom makes us more resilient to disease. Transcript: https://www.humanprogr...
The Evolutionary Advantages of Playing Victim with Cory Clark | The Human Progress Podcast Ep.18
30 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Psychologist Cory Clark joins Chelsea Follett to discuss why people play the victim and the social costs of false victimhood. Transcript: https://www....
Debunking Woke Oppression Narratives with Wilfred Reilly | The Human Progress Podcast Ep.17
07 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Wilfred Reilly, a political scientist and expert on race relations, joins Chelsea Follett to discuss racism in the United States and debunk woke oppre...
Madeleine Kearns: Eco-Anxiety and Falling Birth Rates || The Human Progress Podcast Ep.16
17 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
British journalist Madeleine Kearns joins Chelsea Follett to discuss misplaced eco-anxiety's effect on birth rates and why some couples feel they need...
Mustafa Akyol: A liberal vision of Islam || The Human Progress Podcast Ep.15
05 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Cato scholar Mustafa Akyol joins Chelsea Follett to discuss Islam's lost liberal tradition and why Muslims should reform the Sharia. Transcript...
Terence Kealey: Research and development || The Human Progress Podcast Ep.14
22 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
British biochemist Terence Kealey joins Marian Tupy to discuss the origins of innovation and how to sustain it into the future. Transcript: http...
John Constable: Global warming and energy policy || The Human Progress Podcast Ep.13
07 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Marian Tupy and John Constable discuss energy policy failure in the UK and the problems with the green agenda. Transcript: https://www.humanprog...
Douglas Carswell: Threats to the Enlightenment || The Human Progress Podcast Ep.12
24 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Marian Tupy and Douglas Carswell discuss Brexit, Covid protectionism, and the danger of "Woke" ideology. Transcript: https://www.humanprogress.org/dou...
The State of Africa with Michela Wrong || The Human Progress Podcast Ep. 11
08 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Renowned author and journalist Michela Wrong outlines the problems facing Africa and the reasons to be hopeful about the continent's future. Tr...
Rachel Laudan: Cooking in World History || The Human Progress Podcast Ep.10
26 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel Laudan tells the remarkable story of the rise and fall of the world’s great cuisines―from the mastery of grain cooking some twenty thousand...
Alan Levinovitz: How Faith in Nature's Goodness Leads to Flawed Science || HPP Ep. 9
10 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Alan Levinovitz illuminates the far-reaching harms of believing that natural means “good,” from misinformation about health choices to justifi...
Matthew Slaboch: A Road to Nowhere: The Idea of Progress and Its Critics || The Human Progress Podcast Ep. 8
28 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The modern world is wealthier than ever, but does prosperity actually make us better off? Matthew Slaboch joins to discuss the question that has troub...
Clay Routledge: U.S. college students' attitudes towards free speech and progress || The Human Progress Podcast Ep. 7
13 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What are U.S. college students' attitudes towards free speech? What do they know about human progress? And what do they think about capitalism? Find o...
Ian Vásquez: Progress and setbacks in Latin America || The Human Progress Podcast Ep. 6
28 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How did a socialist get elected in Peru, a country that has benefited immensely from market reforms? Why is Latin America as a whole going through suc...
David Starkey: The cultural forces that undermine our progress || The Human Progress Podcast Ep. 5
17 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
English historian David Starkey discusses the cultural forces that undermine our progress. In particular, he worries about threats to human freedom an...
John Mueller: The Stupidity of War || The Human Progress Podcast Ep. 4
31 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Political scientist John Mueller discusses how ideas influence everything from human health to war. It could be said that American foreign policy sinc...
Peter J. Boettke: The Struggle for a Better World || The Human Progress Podcast Ep. 3
19 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"Historically, liberalism is striving to have a society that exhibits neither discrimination nor domination." Peter Boettke defends classical liberali...
Charles Kenny: Your World, Better || The Human Progress Podcast Ep. 2
06 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In his new book, Charles Kenny explains why despite all the gloom and doom, the world is getting better for billions. Charles Kenny is a senior fellow...
Gale Pooley: The Simon Abundance Index || The Human Progress Podcast Ep. 1
22 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Marian Tupy and Gale Pooley explain how resources are becoming more abundant alongside population growth. SImon Project: https://www.humanprogress.or...