The guest on the show this week is senior Cato Institute fellow Johan Norberg, author of the book ‘Progress: Ten Reasons to Look Forward to the Future’. Johan explains how the freedom of exploration, experimentation and exchange has allowed humanity to improve and constantly live better. Many of the systems or items we now take for granted, including sewerage disposal and synthetic fertilisers, have set the scene for our current day successes. Jonathan explores whether necessity really is the mother of invention and Roman probes the transformation of Johan’s home country, Sweden. The discussion ventures further into improvements in life expectancy, why the economy isn’t a zero sum game, and how the greatest threat to progress are those who simply won’t move out of its way.
