Michael—really nice work on this lengthy post! Your assessment of ideologies is excellent. The assumption that neither the left or the right can break free from dogmatic thinking to achieve a more continuous material progress looks accurate to me.
I know the equality trap is harsh. I focus my thought process on liberty (individual agency and Life Choices) and dignity (a livable outcome for the those whose talents are less rewarded).
I totally agree with the need to move beyond the old ideologies. The Left, after a long history of successfully leading social progress (racial, sexual, age, worker safety, environment, etc.), has hit the point where equality of opportunity has largely been assured by their efforts and they have now gone off into the far reaches of wokeism. The Right, which largely failed in attempts to stop social progress, is hobbled with the antiquated ideology of God, Guns, Tribal Loyalty, and the Buying Off of Politicians by the Wealthy, and offers no new ideas. The new paradigm of Progress -- 'Neither Left nor Right, but Forward', as often stated by Andrew Yang -- as set out in many Substack blogs should be taken up the clarion call of the future.
The equality of opportunity you speak of is, by and large, only present in wealthy Western nations. Many on the left would argue that this opportunity is built on the backs of the global poor / global south and that argument has a lot of merit. It's a valid question whether the equality project has it's sights set on extending equality globally or just within ones local country.
Does Substack give you access to the statistics of how many viewers you have over time for your posts? Have you seen an increase that might give you confidence that your message and methods are receiving wider exposure than you or others might believe to be the case? Or has the sale of your books shown ups and downs that can translate into "getting the word out".
For myself, your views take a while to sink in, perhaps after multiple exposures, when we are seeped in "old thoughts" or paradigms. I was pulled into your orbit by your mention of Upward Mobility as a place that needed more emphasis, not just a regurgitation of "all is woe".
Hopefully things are "progressing" more favorably than you may judge right now?
Yes, Substack gives me quite a few metrics to chart growth over time, plus I recently installed Google Analytics.
Subscriptions, book sales, and views are gradually growing, but I have no idea if it is growing faster than the typical Substack column as Substack gives me no point in comparison. I have no evidence that I my thoughts are sinking in, though.
Right now I think the biggest hindrance to my Substack's growth is that other progress-related Substackers with a larger number of subscriptions do not recommend my site. Recommendations from big Substackers play a huge role in growth, and they are very hard to get even if you write lots of good content.
You may have noticed that all the other Substack columns on progress recommend each other, but they do not recommend my site even though I write far more than they do. Those recommendations drive rapid subscriber growth, but only if you are included.
Unfortunately, the Progress Studies movement is more of a personal clique rather than a real field of inquiry where your status is determined by the quality of your ideas rather than what key actors think of you personally.
Inspiring and truly beautiful. Thanks for continuing to put out the best substack subscription in existence.
This is so perfect. I love it. Casts a true light on the nature of reality around us.
Michael—really nice work on this lengthy post! Your assessment of ideologies is excellent. The assumption that neither the left or the right can break free from dogmatic thinking to achieve a more continuous material progress looks accurate to me.
I know the equality trap is harsh. I focus my thought process on liberty (individual agency and Life Choices) and dignity (a livable outcome for the those whose talents are less rewarded).
Excellent work!
I totally agree with the need to move beyond the old ideologies. The Left, after a long history of successfully leading social progress (racial, sexual, age, worker safety, environment, etc.), has hit the point where equality of opportunity has largely been assured by their efforts and they have now gone off into the far reaches of wokeism. The Right, which largely failed in attempts to stop social progress, is hobbled with the antiquated ideology of God, Guns, Tribal Loyalty, and the Buying Off of Politicians by the Wealthy, and offers no new ideas. The new paradigm of Progress -- 'Neither Left nor Right, but Forward', as often stated by Andrew Yang -- as set out in many Substack blogs should be taken up the clarion call of the future.
The equality of opportunity you speak of is, by and large, only present in wealthy Western nations. Many on the left would argue that this opportunity is built on the backs of the global poor / global south and that argument has a lot of merit. It's a valid question whether the equality project has it's sights set on extending equality globally or just within ones local country.
Does Substack give you access to the statistics of how many viewers you have over time for your posts? Have you seen an increase that might give you confidence that your message and methods are receiving wider exposure than you or others might believe to be the case? Or has the sale of your books shown ups and downs that can translate into "getting the word out".
For myself, your views take a while to sink in, perhaps after multiple exposures, when we are seeped in "old thoughts" or paradigms. I was pulled into your orbit by your mention of Upward Mobility as a place that needed more emphasis, not just a regurgitation of "all is woe".
Hopefully things are "progressing" more favorably than you may judge right now?
Yes, Substack gives me quite a few metrics to chart growth over time, plus I recently installed Google Analytics.
Subscriptions, book sales, and views are gradually growing, but I have no idea if it is growing faster than the typical Substack column as Substack gives me no point in comparison. I have no evidence that I my thoughts are sinking in, though.
Right now I think the biggest hindrance to my Substack's growth is that other progress-related Substackers with a larger number of subscriptions do not recommend my site. Recommendations from big Substackers play a huge role in growth, and they are very hard to get even if you write lots of good content.
You may have noticed that all the other Substack columns on progress recommend each other, but they do not recommend my site even though I write far more than they do. Those recommendations drive rapid subscriber growth, but only if you are included.
Unfortunately, the Progress Studies movement is more of a personal clique rather than a real field of inquiry where your status is determined by the quality of your ideas rather than what key actors think of you personally.
I hope that changes in the future...