Make, Think, Imagine

An impassioned defence of progress and innovation from engineer, businessman and former CEO of BP Lord John Browne

We spend a lot of our time asking whether the internet has warped society; whether Twitter and social media have given rise to unbridled misinformation; whether data has put our privacy at risk. Many fear that progress is running too fast, changing our lives before we can hope to understand the consequences.

In The Progress Paradox, engineer and businessman Lord John Browne outlines his passionate belief that the best is yet to come. For society to keep moving forward, and for health, wealth and freedom to grow and spread, we must always question the status quo and strive to build new things. Every innovation has negative side effects, but the same spark that triggered each innovation can - and should - be used to address its ills.

At a time when everyone is questioning advancement, The Progress Paradox is a nuanced call for not putting the brakes on progress. Embracing our energy and survival quest, our need for shelter and for how we augment the processes of the mind and body and protect ourselves as well as dare to dream, it provides an eloquent blueprint for moving forward while also taking into account the challenging legacies of the past.