For tens of thousands of years most people lived in abject poverty, ravaged by diseases, at the mercy of a monarch or warlord. But in the last two centuries the world has witnessed breathtaking progress, a fact Ayn Rand thought about deeply, observing that America’s economic-political system “achieved a level of freedom, of progress, of prosperity, of human happiness, unmatched in all the other systems and centuries combined.”

One remarkable indicator: we’ve just witnessed the creation, in record-breaking time, of not just one but multiple vaccines for the deadly SARS-CoV-2 virus. 

What is the story of human progress? Join us for a conversation with Jason Crawford, a writer and speaker working in the emerging field of progress studies. The former CEO and cofounder of Fieldbook, Mr. Crawford is the creator of the Roots of Progress website, which features his blog exploring the history of technology and industry and the factors enabling human progress. We’ll talk about his background as a tech entrepreneur, his work exploring the history of progress, and the impact of Ayn Rand’s ideas on his life and work.