Comparing the 1940s, biology and computing have actually made massive progress
Dr_Atoosa · x · 2026-08-20
The author questions the emphasis on "we haven't progressed enough" within the progress studies movement. Looking back at the 1940s (the birth of cybernetics), there were no digital computers, internet, or many modern antibiotics, and women in most countries couldn't open bank accounts or vote independently. While admitting that energy and transportation plateaued post-1970s, the author argues that biology, computing, and social/legal progress have kept compounding, suggesting that the "stagnation" narrative often projects the slow pace of a few specific areas onto the entirety of human development.
Related event: Essay Pushes Back on Tech Stagnation Thesis(2 posts)→
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