Jason Crawford

Founder, Roots of Progress

Jason Crawford is the founder of The Roots of Progress, where he writes and speaks about the history of technology and the philosophy of progress. He is also the creator of Progress Studies for Young Scholars, an online learning program for high schoolers; and a part-time adviser and technical consultant to Our World in Data, an Oxford-based non-profit for research and data on global development.

Previously, he spent 18 years as a software engineer, engineering manager, and startup founder. From 2013–2018, he was co-founder & CEO of Fieldbook, a hybrid spreadsheet-database. He has also been an engineering manager at Flexport, Amazon, and Groupon, and a co-founder or early employee at other startups. Before that, he was a research engineer at D. E. Shaw Research, working on a new supercomputing architecture for computational biochemistry.

He has a B.S. in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University.

Everything Videos Articles

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The common thread of progress

An introduction to "The Engine of Progress" from Jason Crawford, founder of the Roots of Progress Institute.

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How innovation reshaped human life in just a few generations

“Progress happens when we choose to make it happen. It happens through choice and effort. And ultimately, to make progress happen, we have to believe in it.”

A weathered metal sign reading "PROGRESS" with an arrow stands in a barren desert landscape under a blue sky.

The Big Think Interview

The moment every civilization fears: the growth plateau

“People got skeptical, fearful, doubtful of the very idea of progress in the 20th century and we allowed that to slow down progress itself.”

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Thinking

Blind optimism is not a cure for blind pessimism

We need to fully acknowledge problems, while vigorously pursuing solutions. Call it “solutionism.”

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Thinking

How to reclaim meaning in a changing world

What if the barrier to a fulfilled life isn’t technology but culture?

Abstract design with human profiles, a silhouette of a person walking, and text reading "The Happiness Paradox 4" on a grid background.

Why happiness is not the best indicator of well-being

Achieving values and pursuing growth is the real secret to a fulfilled life.

Image with a split view: the left half shows a black-and-white image of Earth, the right half depicts a grayscale crowd scene. Text overlay: "More Humans Are Better," with the number "3" in the top right corner.

The overlooked virtues of a crowded world

In a world of rising cynicism, a celebration of our capacity to create, adapt, and thrive.

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The Past

Why harmony with nature is a myth

Slowing growth and limiting development isn’t living in harmony with nature—it is surrendering in a battle.

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The Past

How humanity transformed its fate

From surviving on wild plants and game to controlling our world with technology, humanity's journey of progress is a story of expanding human agency.

A collage featuring the text "Forgotten Hardships," images of a struggling family, a graph, a historical farming scene, hands with a skin condition, and an illustration of a caliper.

The Past

Life was dirty, difficult, and dangerous for almost everyone who ever existed

9 minutes of cruel history may cure the anti-progress delusion.

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A new vision for the advancement of humanity

The world needs a moral defense of progress based in humanism and agency.

Progress

We need a new philosophy of progress

Progress got derailed somewhere between indoor plumbing and the flying car. Why?

Learn from the world's biggest thinkers.

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