Narrative decentralization and the future of progress – with Jason Crawford

Podcast Notes

Jason Crawford is the founder of The Roots of Progress, where he writes and speaks about the history of technology and the philosophy of progress. He is also the creator of Progress Studies for Young Scholars, an online learning program for high schoolers; and a part-time adviser and technical consultant to Our World in Data, an Oxford-based non-profit for research and data on global development. Previously, he spent 18 years as a software engineer, engineering manager, and startup founder.

Key highlights from the conversation

We discussed:

• The impact of information technology on centralization and decentralization
• The emergence of a plurality of meanings of progress
• Removing excess capacity and what it means for supply chain disruptions
• The potential for cryptocurrencies to automate legal and financial actions
• Why the pace of progress is slowing down — and how to speed it up

Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast/

Thanks for the ad-hoc music to Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://boundaryless.io/podcast-music

Recorded on 23 November 2021.

🌐 Boundaryless Conversations Podcast is about exploring the future of organizing at scale by leveraging on technology, network effects, and shaping narratives. We explore how platforms can help us play with a world in turmoil, change, and transformation: a world that is at the same time more interconnected and interdependent than ever but also more conflictual and rivalrous.