True Progress

In the next century, the progress of humanity will proceed on the basis of how successfully we address the following six needs. They are not the typical needs of world peace, ending world hunger, or stopping environmental destruction that so often are vaguely thrown about in the press these days. Those are but symptoms of the real challenges that we must attack in the next 100 years. While they are related to some of those subjects, in different ways they are directed at more concrete, more measurable factors that will enable or inhibit our achievement of broader goals this century. Read the rest of this entry »

For background, I am describing some of my experiences from the US Peace Corps in Guinea, West Africa. More information on this series is available in the introduction.

Although, I was one of only two Americans in a small rural school with one class per grade teaching in a foreign language, my experiences in the beginning were not at all unlike any first time teacher I have spoken with since. A little performance anxiety was common in the first few months, but that gradually gave way to the normal challenges that teaching high school students brings, and a few that were not so normal (at least not to Americans). Read the rest of this entry »

For the next several Fridays, I am going to retell some of my experiences from my service in the United States Peace Corps. This is probably not obviously directly related to the aim of True Progress, but I feel that it can be instructive and I believe that the Peace Corps has a specific and valuable role to play in progress around the world. So, understanding at least one image of how it currently works and could work in the future is valuable both in correctly interpreting some of my ideas and formulating your own on how to use or not use this agency. Read the rest of this entry »

Increasing the quality and quantity of education in poor countries is critical and absolutely necessary to their development, but let’s not lose sight of how disruptive a free and generous education can be. Education changes cultures, economies, and governments, and for nations entering that transition period the way must be prepared. Read the rest of this entry »

What is the state of the American university system?  Does it produce the types of professionals needed to keep the American economy strong and innovative?

We often hear a lot about how our contemporary economy requires plenty of professionals skilled in science and technology to maintain a healthy rate of innovation. There are are many reasons why science and engineering degrees are often used as barometers or leading indicators of the future state of innovation of the American economy. Read the rest of this entry »