About

Welcome to In Praise of Progress by me, Ville Vesterinen

I started writing to learn and to understand.

A lot of what I write here will be about progress. Progress is a powerful lens to have on the world. It snaps everything into a sobering perspective and guides me in my own search for ways to contribute.

I borrow the definition of progress from Patrick Collison’s and Tyler Cowen’s wonderful article in The Atlantic where they argue for a new science of progress:

By “progress,” we mean the combination of economic, technological, scientific, cultural, and organizational advancement that has transformed our lives and raised standards of living over the past couple of centuries.

Progress comes in grand sweeping historical leaps but also in everyday decisions on what we decide to spend our time on.

I hope the texts will help you find inspiration, a new-found understanding of the importance of progress and an excitement-filled urgency to find your way to contribute.