Crashing Through the Snow: The Grim Sarcasm Behind 'Jingle Bells'
Thanks to technological progress, cars are much safer than one-horse open sleighs.
Human Progress
Hope Must Conquer Fear in Politics
Princess Leia shows us why hope is crucial for a liberty-oriented way of life.
The Doubling of Life Expectancy Is the Greatest Achievement in 100 Years
Science writer Steven Johnson, author of the new book Extra Life, on vaccines, medical breakthroughs, and life after Covid.
Welcome to the New World Civilization
Even as specific states or regions rise and fade in prominence, their inhabitants continue to enjoy the benefits of their civilization's cumulative experience and knowledge.
The World Is Doing Better Than Ever. Here's Why You Never Hear About It.
Ten Global Trends Every Smart Person Should Know documents progress and explains why it happens.
Impending Defeat for the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Pestilence, war, famine, and death are all on the decline.
Earth Is Nearly 520 Percent More Abundant Now Than in 1980
Thanks to the ultimate resource: the human mind
Simon Abundance Index Launch on Monday at the Cato Institute
Mark the 49th anniversary of Earth Day by celebrating human ingenuity.
Resources Are Almost 5 Times as Abundant as They Were in 1980
New Simon Abundance Index elegantly refutes primitive zero-sum intuitions with respect to population and resource availability trends.
Happy 20th Birthday to Viagra, the Accidental Boner Pill That Changed America
Bob Dole's magical pill changed the way Americans think about sickness and treatment.
Civilization Is Doomed, Says Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich (Again)
Half a century after The Population Bomb, Ehrlich still thinks global catastrophe is just around the corner.
The Prospects for Progress in Africa
Nigeria will have a higher population than the U.S. by mid-century, when one in four people on Earth will live in Africa.
Human Conditions Improving at a Remarkable Speed
Over the last decade, GDP per person and life expectancy are up around the world while infant mortality and undernourished rates are down.
Are Freer Countries Just Better?
The public thinks so, and with freer countries having higher incomes, longer lifespans and lower rates of infant mortality, why wouldn't they?
How Much Do You Really Know About the State of the World?
Take Hans Rosling's Test Your World Knowledge quiz and find out