I have been a member of the Progress Studies for a number of years and have written a number of books on the subject, but I chose not to go to the conference. Maybe I will next year. I agree that the vast majority of our discussions in the media about current events and politics obscures more important trends that are going on.
You and your readers might be interested in reading my article about what I call “the Progress-based perspective:”
Zachary, a wise and inspiring column. I hope you don’t mind if I quote from it at the 50th year anniversary celebration of Heyday Books next Sunday. After all, our focus should be on the next 50 years and your essay serves us well in charting that course.
Great article about the conference. On one item, the importance of the upcoming US election, I think it is very important. If you are LGBTQ+, if Trump is elected, the impact on transgender people will be devastating, as well as the impact on the rest of the LGBTQ+ community. Already, with so many states making gender affirming care illegal, resulting in families having to move to other states, and states like Florida and Tennessee making it a crime to use the bathroom that aligns with your gender rather than the gender assigned at birth. My transgender wife is a musician and we would love to visit Nashville, but she wouldn't be able to pee anywhere except in our hotel room. If the US enacts federal legislation banning gender affirming care, it will embolden many other authoritarian countries that haven't acted already.
Interesting article.
I have been a member of the Progress Studies for a number of years and have written a number of books on the subject, but I chose not to go to the conference. Maybe I will next year. I agree that the vast majority of our discussions in the media about current events and politics obscures more important trends that are going on.
You and your readers might be interested in reading my article about what I call “the Progress-based perspective:”
https://frompovertytoprogress.substack.com/p/a-manifesto-for-the-progress-based
Zachary, a wise and inspiring column. I hope you don’t mind if I quote from it at the 50th year anniversary celebration of Heyday Books next Sunday. After all, our focus should be on the next 50 years and your essay serves us well in charting that course.
Great article about the conference. On one item, the importance of the upcoming US election, I think it is very important. If you are LGBTQ+, if Trump is elected, the impact on transgender people will be devastating, as well as the impact on the rest of the LGBTQ+ community. Already, with so many states making gender affirming care illegal, resulting in families having to move to other states, and states like Florida and Tennessee making it a crime to use the bathroom that aligns with your gender rather than the gender assigned at birth. My transgender wife is a musician and we would love to visit Nashville, but she wouldn't be able to pee anywhere except in our hotel room. If the US enacts federal legislation banning gender affirming care, it will embolden many other authoritarian countries that haven't acted already.