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Invention and Innovation
by Vaclav Smil • 2023
Moore's Law is an outlier. Everywhere else, innovation crawls, stumbles, or backfires.
3.84
1k+
Invention and Innovation Summary
Invention and Innovation 95%
Moore's Law is an outlier. Everywhere else, innovation crawls, stumbles, or backfires.
by Vaclav Smil 2023
3.84
1k+ ratings
Progress
by Johan Norberg • 2016
Extreme poverty fell faster in 50 years than 500. And that is not even the headline.
4.03
2k+
Progress Summary
Progress 94%
Extreme poverty fell faster in 50 years than 500. And that is not even the headline.
by Johan Norberg 2016
4.03
2k+ ratings
A Culture of Growth
by Joel Mokyr • 2016
What fueled modern growth? Not property rights. A cultural shift that made nature a solvable puzzle.
3.94
427
A Culture of Growth Summary
A Culture of Growth 94%
What fueled modern growth? Not property rights. A cultural shift that made nature a solvable puzzle.
by Joel Mokyr 2016
3.94
427 ratings
Paper Belt on Fire
by Michael Gibson • 2022
Progress died in the 1970s. A venture fund now bets on dropouts to revive it.
3.88
160
Paper Belt on Fire Summary
Paper Belt on Fire 94%
Progress died in the 1970s. A venture fund now bets on dropouts to revive it.
by Michael Gibson 2022
3.88
160 ratings
The Gifts of Athena
by Joel Mokyr • 2002
The modern economy runs on a feedback loop between understanding nature and manipulating it.
4.02
136
The Gifts of Athena Summary
The Gifts of Athena 94%
The modern economy runs on a feedback loop between understanding nature and manipulating it.
by Joel Mokyr 2002
4.02
136 ratings
Do Humankind’s Best Days Lie Ahead?
by Steven Pinker • 2016
Four thinkers debate: are we actually getting better, or just trading old problems for bigger ones?
3.34
2k+
Do Humankind’s Best Days Lie Ahead? Summary
Do Humankind’s Best Days Lie Ahead? 93%
Four thinkers debate: are we actually getting better, or just trading old problems for bigger ones?
by Steven Pinker 2016
3.34
2k+ ratings
The Nature of Technology
by W. Brian Arthur • 2009
Technology is nature harnessed, then endlessly recombined. Each invention fuels the next.
3.95
858
The Nature of Technology Summary
The Nature of Technology 93%
Technology is nature harnessed, then endlessly recombined. Each invention fuels the next.
by W. Brian Arthur 2009
3.95
858 ratings
Growth
by Daniel Susskind • 2024
Growth is recent, reversible, and destructive. The choice isn't whether to grow but how.
3.75
831
Growth Summary
Growth 93%
Growth is recent, reversible, and destructive. The choice isn't whether to grow but how.
by Daniel Susskind 2024
3.75
831 ratings
Numbers Don't Lie
by Vaclav Smil • 2020
Your smartphone costs the planet as much as a car. 71 data points that rewrite modern life.
3.82
11k+
Numbers Don't Lie Summary
Numbers Don't Lie 93%
Your smartphone costs the planet as much as a car. 71 data points that rewrite modern life.
by Vaclav Smil 2020
3.82
11k+ ratings
The Rational Optimist
by Matt Ridley • 2010
Trade, not genius, drives human progress. Two centuries of data, and why the pessimists always lose.
3.97
14k+
The Rational Optimist Summary
The Rational Optimist 93%
Trade, not genius, drives human progress. Two centuries of data, and why the pessimists always lose.
by Matt Ridley 2010
3.97
14k+ ratings
The Second Machine Age
by Erik Brynjolfsson • 2014
Kodak employed 145,000. Instagram: 15. The economics that explains both, and what comes next.
3.91
12k+
The Second Machine Age Summary
The Second Machine Age 93%
Kodak employed 145,000. Instagram: 15. The economics that explains both, and what comes next.
by Erik Brynjolfsson 2014
3.91
12k+ ratings
How Innovation Works
by Matt Ridley • 2020
Not lone geniuses but slow, collective tinkering, freedom, and accident drive real innovation.
4.11
4k+
How Innovation Works Summary
How Innovation Works 93%
Not lone geniuses but slow, collective tinkering, freedom, and accident drive real innovation.
by Matt Ridley 2020
4.11
4k+ ratings
Bad Ideas?
by Robert Winston • 2009
Writing, farming, and nuclear power share an uncomfortable secret: each was supposed to save us.
3.56
142
Bad Ideas? Summary
Bad Ideas? 93%
Writing, farming, and nuclear power share an uncomfortable secret: each was supposed to save us.
by Robert Winston 2009
3.56
142 ratings
Revolutionary Wealth
by Alvin Toffler • 2006
New wealth is not made of things but of ideas and invisible contributions the market ignores.
3.88
668
Revolutionary Wealth Summary
Revolutionary Wealth 93%
New wealth is not made of things but of ideas and invisible contributions the market ignores.
by Alvin Toffler 2006
3.88
668 ratings
Innovation
by Mark Dodgson • 2010
Most innovations fail, and the pattern of those failures is not a bug but a design feature.
3.28
190
Innovation Summary
Innovation 93%
Most innovations fail, and the pattern of those failures is not a bug but a design feature.
by Mark Dodgson 2010
3.28
190 ratings
Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy
by Tim Harford • 2017
Fifty inventions, from barbed wire to infant formula, and the economic ripples nobody saw coming.
4.06
4k+
Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy Summary
Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy 93%
Fifty inventions, from barbed wire to infant formula, and the economic ripples nobody saw coming.
by Tim Harford 2017
4.06
4k+ ratings
Optimal Illusions
by Coco Krumme • 2023
Optimization promised perfection. It delivered fragile systems and hollowed communities.
3.00
238
Optimal Illusions Summary
Optimal Illusions 93%
Optimization promised perfection. It delivered fragile systems and hollowed communities.
by Coco Krumme 2023
3.00
238 ratings
The Fourth Industrial Revolution
by Klaus Schwab • 2016
Physical, digital, and biological tech are merging. Jobs, governments, and selves will be rewritten.
3.56
5k+
The Fourth Industrial Revolution Summary
The Fourth Industrial Revolution 93%
Physical, digital, and biological tech are merging. Jobs, governments, and selves will be rewritten.
by Klaus Schwab 2016
3.56
5k+ ratings
Enlightenment Now
by Steven Pinker • 2018
The world is getting better, by the numbers. The credit belongs to ideals we are abandoning.
4.19
33k+
Enlightenment Now Summary
Enlightenment Now 93%
The world is getting better, by the numbers. The credit belongs to ideals we are abandoning.
by Steven Pinker 2018
4.19
33k+ ratings
Against Intellectual Monopoly
by Michele Boldrin • 2008
Patents and copyrights were meant to fuel invention. The evidence shows they mostly slow it down.
4.02
395
Against Intellectual Monopoly Summary
Against Intellectual Monopoly 93%
Patents and copyrights were meant to fuel invention. The evidence shows they mostly slow it down.
by Michele Boldrin 2008
4.02
395 ratings
Growth
by Vaclav Smil • 2019
The math of growth is the same everywhere: a curve that bends toward limits, not infinity.
3.87
1k+
Growth Summary
Growth 92%
The math of growth is the same everywhere: a curve that bends toward limits, not infinity.
by Vaclav Smil 2019
3.87
1k+ ratings
Powershift
by Alvin Toffler • 1990
Information rewrites power itself: who holds it, how it flows, and why old hierarchies collapse.
4.00
1k+
Powershift Summary
Powershift 92%
Information rewrites power itself: who holds it, how it flows, and why old hierarchies collapse.
by Alvin Toffler 1990
4.00
1k+ ratings
The Technology Trap
by Carl Benedikt Frey • 2019
The telescope helps you see. The power loom takes your job. Which one is AI?
4.10
657
The Technology Trap Summary
The Technology Trap 92%
The telescope helps you see. The power loom takes your job. Which one is AI?
by Carl Benedikt Frey 2019
4.10
657 ratings
The Race between Education and Technology
by Claudia Goldin • 2008
The 20th century's inequality curve has a single engine: how fast education kept pace with machines.
3.81
189
The Race between Education and Technology Summary
The Race between Education and Technology 92%
The 20th century's inequality curve has a single engine: how fast education kept pace with machines.
by Claudia Goldin 2008
3.81
189 ratings
Power and Progress
by Daron Acemoğlu • 2023
For a thousand years, technology served the powerful; the handful of exceptions hold the lesson.
3.94
2k+
Power and Progress Summary
Power and Progress 92%
For a thousand years, technology served the powerful; the handful of exceptions hold the lesson.
by Daron Acemoğlu 2023
3.94
2k+ ratings
The Great Acceleration
by Robert Colvile • 2016
Why everything from politics to dinner is getting faster, and why the middle ground is disappearing.
3.56
165
The Great Acceleration Summary
The Great Acceleration 92%
Why everything from politics to dinner is getting faster, and why the middle ground is disappearing.
by Robert Colvile 2016
3.56
165 ratings
The Future of the Professions
by Richard Susskind • 2015
The professions were built on a trade: exclusive knowledge for public trust. That trade is ending.
3.64
1k+
The Future of the Professions Summary
The Future of the Professions 92%
The professions were built on a trade: exclusive knowledge for public trust. That trade is ending.
by Richard Susskind 2015
3.64
1k+ ratings
The Exponential Age
by Azeem Azhar • 2021
Tech accelerates exponentially; institutions crawl. The gap is reshaping wealth, work, and war.
3.98
1k+
The Exponential Age Summary
The Exponential Age 92%
Tech accelerates exponentially; institutions crawl. The gap is reshaping wealth, work, and war.
by Azeem Azhar 2021
3.98
1k+ ratings
The Industries of the Future
by Alec J. Ross • 2016
Robotics, genomics, code, and cyberwar: the next economy's winners and losers, mapped.
3.96
8k+
The Industries of the Future Summary
The Industries of the Future 92%
Robotics, genomics, code, and cyberwar: the next economy's winners and losers, mapped.
by Alec J. Ross 2016
3.96
8k+ ratings
The Robots Are Coming!
by Andrés Oppenheimer • 2018
Factory workers lost their jobs to robots last decade. This decade, it's lawyers and accountants.
4.19
3k+
The Robots Are Coming! Summary
The Robots Are Coming! 92%
Factory workers lost their jobs to robots last decade. This decade, it's lawyers and accountants.
by Andrés Oppenheimer 2018
4.19
3k+ ratings
21 Lessons for the 21st Century
by Yuval Noah Harari • 2018
How to think in a century where jobs vanish, truths splinter, and biology becomes programmable.
4.15
179k+
21 Lessons for the 21st Century Summary
21 Lessons for the 21st Century 92%
How to think in a century where jobs vanish, truths splinter, and biology becomes programmable.
by Yuval Noah Harari 2018
4.15
179k+ ratings
How Progress Ends
by Carl Benedikt Frey • 2025
Progress doesn't stall from a lack of ideas but from institutions that protect yesterday's winners.
4.16
233
How Progress Ends Summary
How Progress Ends 92%
Progress doesn't stall from a lack of ideas but from institutions that protect yesterday's winners.
by Carl Benedikt Frey 2025
4.16
233 ratings
Life After Google
by George Gilder • 2018
Google's ad internet is dying. Blockchain will build a new one around human minds, not AI.
3.54
2k+
Life After Google Summary
Life After Google 92%
Google's ad internet is dying. Blockchain will build a new one around human minds, not AI.
by George Gilder 2018
3.54
2k+ ratings
Mission Economy
by Mariana Mazzucato • 2020
State-led missions built the internet and GPS; now turn that force on climate and inequality.
3.85
3k+
Mission Economy Summary
Mission Economy 92%
State-led missions built the internet and GPS; now turn that force on climate and inequality.
by Mariana Mazzucato 2020
3.85
3k+ ratings
Eat People
by Andy Kessler • 2011
Find what gets cheaper every year, waste it prodigiously, and let the market eat the rest.
3.63
393
Eat People Summary
Eat People 92%
Find what gets cheaper every year, waste it prodigiously, and let the market eat the rest.
by Andy Kessler 2011
3.63
393 ratings
The Handover
by David Runciman • 2023
Three inhuman agents run the world: states, corporations, and now AI. We have to pick one.
3.71
234
The Handover Summary
The Handover 92%
Three inhuman agents run the world: states, corporations, and now AI. We have to pick one.
by David Runciman 2023
3.71
234 ratings
Democratizing Innovation
by Eric von Hippel • 2005
Innovation's hidden engine isn't corporate R&D. It's users, and companies that ignore them lose out.
3.62
617
Democratizing Innovation Summary
Democratizing Innovation 92%
Innovation's hidden engine isn't corporate R&D. It's users, and companies that ignore them lose out.
by Eric von Hippel 2005
3.62
617 ratings
Why Information Grows
by César A. Hidalgo • 2015
Economies grow when knowledge solidifies into products. Information is physical, not abstract.
3.97
2k+
Why Information Grows Summary
Why Information Grows 92%
Economies grow when knowledge solidifies into products. Information is physical, not abstract.
by César A. Hidalgo 2015
3.97
2k+ ratings
Master Switch
by Tim Wu • 2010
Telephone, radio, film, TV: each began open and ended a monopoly. The internet is next.
3.89
8k+
Master Switch Summary
Master Switch 92%
Telephone, radio, film, TV: each began open and ended a monopoly. The internet is next.
by Tim Wu 2010
3.89
8k+ ratings
The Clock Of The Long Now
by Stewart Brand • 1999
In an age of acceleration, the most subversive object is a clock that barely moves.
4.10
809
The Clock Of The Long Now Summary
The Clock Of The Long Now 92%
In an age of acceleration, the most subversive object is a clock that barely moves.
by Stewart Brand 1999
4.10
809 ratings
Why Most Things Fail
by Paul Ormerod • 2005
Business and biology share one extinction curve. Smarter planning barely bends it.
3.48
391
Why Most Things Fail Summary
Why Most Things Fail 92%
Business and biology share one extinction curve. Smarter planning barely bends it.
by Paul Ormerod 2005
3.48
391 ratings
The Future Is Faster Than You Think
by Peter H. Diamandis • 2020
Breakthroughs are converging. The next decade will deliver a century's worth of change.
4.13
5k+
The Future Is Faster Than You Think Summary
The Future Is Faster Than You Think 92%
Breakthroughs are converging. The next decade will deliver a century's worth of change.
by Peter H. Diamandis 2020
4.13
5k+ ratings
How to Fix the Future
by Andrew Keen • 2017
The digital revolution feels unprecedented. It isn't. The fix is the same as last time.
3.36
273
How to Fix the Future Summary
How to Fix the Future 92%
The digital revolution feels unprecedented. It isn't. The fix is the same as last time.
by Andrew Keen 2017
3.36
273 ratings
Open Innovation Results
by Henry Chesbrough • 2019
Breakthrough tech, stalled productivity. Open innovation's architect explains what must change.
4.09
46
Open Innovation Results Summary
Open Innovation Results 92%
Breakthrough tech, stalled productivity. Open innovation's architect explains what must change.
by Henry Chesbrough 2019
4.09
46 ratings
Fully Automated Luxury Communism
by Aaron Bastani • 2018
Technology is ending scarcity. The real question is who gets to own the abundance.
3.68
3k+
Fully Automated Luxury Communism Summary
Fully Automated Luxury Communism 92%
Technology is ending scarcity. The real question is who gets to own the abundance.
by Aaron Bastani 2018
3.68
3k+ ratings
Capitalism without Capital
by Jonathan Haskel • 2017
Investment shifted from machines to ideas, and ideas refuse to follow the old economic rules.
3.78
2k+
Capitalism without Capital Summary
Capitalism without Capital 92%
Investment shifted from machines to ideas, and ideas refuse to follow the old economic rules.
by Jonathan Haskel 2017
3.78
2k+ ratings
Pasteur's Quadrant
by Donald E. Stokes • 1997
The report that sold America on funding pure science: the engine of health, security, and growth.
3.82
150
Pasteur's Quadrant Summary
Pasteur's Quadrant 92%
The report that sold America on funding pure science: the engine of health, security, and growth.
by Donald E. Stokes 1997
3.82
150 ratings
Invention by Design; How Engineers Get from Thought to Thing
by Petroski • 1996
Paper clips, fax machines, bridges: what their shortcomings reveal about the logic of engineering.
3.75
351
Invention by Design; How Engineers Get from Thought to Thing Summary
Invention by Design; How Engineers Get from Thought to Thing 92%
Paper clips, fax machines, bridges: what their shortcomings reveal about the logic of engineering.
by Petroski 1996
3.75
351 ratings
2030
by Mauro F. Guillén • 2020
By 2030, three demographic waves collide: aging societies, female fortunes, and an ascendant Asia.
3.69
3k+
2030 Summary
2030 92%
By 2030, three demographic waves collide: aging societies, female fortunes, and an ascendant Asia.
by Mauro F. Guillén 2020
3.69
3k+ ratings
In the Long Run
by Jonathan White • 2024
The future made democracy possible. Calculated, secret, and algorithmic futures are dismantling it.
3.78
85
In the Long Run Summary
In the Long Run 92%
The future made democracy possible. Calculated, secret, and algorithmic futures are dismantling it.
by Jonathan White 2024
3.78
85 ratings
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