Human progress has largely been achieved during cycles of open societies which institute dramatic and transformative change followed by cycles of closed thinking which stills or even reverses progress. We are currently in an ‘open’ phase which is under threat from forces wanting to return to ‘simpler’ times. That is the well-argued and credible thesis of the book Open: The Story of Human Progress by Johan Norberg.

Norberg doesn’t formally define progress, but the context of his book suggests ...