Human Progress

A @CatoInstitute project.

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[Human Progress @HumanProgress]

https://t.co/5CaCFflNs3

[Human Progress @HumanProgress]

Without farming, burning fossil fuels, and other ecologically disruptive activities, humans would not be much closer than chimpanzees to colonizing space—and thus securing the future of life on Earth.
https://t.co/hOWua3TRsC

[Human Progress @HumanProgress]

People today are more cooperative, generous, and concerned for others than in any previous generation.
https://t.co/FWrMgvbHzI

[Human Progress @HumanProgress]

Recent tariff hikes added at least $10,000 to the price of a typical home. Building regulations add $90,000, and can make up 40% of the cost of multifamily housing.

The best thing governments can do to address the housing crisis is to get out of the way.
https://t.co/gXj8BhvWnf

[Human Progress @HumanProgress]

@chellivia Order your copy today: https://t.co/RdypXF8Dht

[Human Progress @HumanProgress]

In many preindustrial societies, water was so filthy that drinking it became associated with poverty and low status.

Learn more about the everyday hardships of the past in @chellivia’s latest book, The Grim Old Days.

[Human Progress @HumanProgress]

Wealthy societies can afford to screen for and treat conditions that our ancestors endured in silence.

That is a form of progress.

However, thanks to the way that our healthcare system is structured, that ever-expanding pool of diagnoses diverts resources away from the truly needy.

From @AdamOmaryPhD: https://t.co/ahK1CpxGKz

[Steven Pinker @sapinker]

Latest updates on human progress from @HumanProgress https://t.co/ptAzsjnZ27

[Human Progress @HumanProgress]

One of the great triumphs of entrepreneurial capitalism is how quickly air conditioning transformed from a rare luxury into an ordinary necessity.

Since 1952, the number of hours of entry-level work required to buy an air conditioner has fallen by nearly 99 percent.
https://t.co/fUfqoBa39Y

[Human Progress @HumanProgress]

The US economy keeps getting more out of less.

The energy needed to produce a dollar of GDP has fallen by about 70% since 1949, and by half since 1990.

In 2024, it hit 4,040 BTUs per dollar, the lowest on record.

Explore the data: https://t.co/3i79ASgmAx

[Human Progress @HumanProgress]

Social media platforms don’t just feed us headlines that align with our politics.

They also bait our ancient instincts and strongest emotions.
https://t.co/mdZNCTpe93

[Human Progress @HumanProgress]

In the 1930s, US corn yields averaged 26 bushels per acre.

In 2025, that number reached 179.3 bushels per acre—with top-performing farms reaching an astonishing 624 bushels.
https://t.co/EPhZEcSYbi

[Human Progress @HumanProgress]

@kristianstout @LawEconCenter Full interview: https://t.co/u6AExfwX01

Read the highlights: https://t.co/JtMbvr0rzo

[Human Progress @HumanProgress]

When electricity was first developed, nobody could have predicted all the ways it would eventually transform human civilization.

@kristianstout of @LawEconCenter argues that AI is a similarly transformative technology: its greatest benefits may come from applications we haven't even imagined yet.

[Human Progress @HumanProgress]

A recent analysis in The Economist finds that global inequality in consumption is falling.

In 2000, the richest 10% of humanity spent 40 times more than the poorest 50%.

In 2025, they spent around 18 times more.
https://t.co/x7EZWQrTZ5

[Human Progress @HumanProgress]

Our evolved intuitions about fairness, competition, and resource scarcity are often at odds with sound economic policy.

Progress depends on building institutions that counteract these counterproductive instincts.

From @AdamOmaryPhD: https://t.co/bZI07j1a4r

[Human Progress @HumanProgress]

Economies grow when transaction costs—the hassle and expense of getting buyers and sellers together—fall.

AVs are poised to become a prime technology that reduces transaction costs, enabling a boom in small-scale local trade because “come pick it up” will no longer mean an hour in traffic.
https://t.co/TMSvD0i53b

[Human Progress @HumanProgress]

Read more: https://t.co/4LcfS2s4xI

[Human Progress @HumanProgress]

Nvidia has launched a new system designed to keep AI agents from taking unauthorized actions.

The system combines software that limits what an agent can access with an independent monitor that watches the agent and can block or quarantine it if it crosses those boundaries. The monitor runs on a separate processor from the one hosting the agent, putting it beyond the agent’s direct control.

[Human Progress @HumanProgress]

When Friedrich Hayek titled his classic The Road to Serfdom, he did not mean it as praise.

He used “serfdom” to warn against a return to systems that crushed freedom and prosperity.
https://t.co/zr3RRYAJV6

[Human Progress @HumanProgress]

IKEA has been a leading driver of furniture abundance.

In many cases, their retail prices are actually lower today than they were 40 years ago—even without adjusting for inflation or rising wages.
https://t.co/x8tGhXRw3K