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Conservative Futurism w/Jim Pethokoukis, Jon Askonas, & Robert Bellafiore
Episode 54

Conservative Futurism w/Jim Pethokoukis, Jon Askonas, & Robert Bellafiore

Evan interviews AEI’s Jim Pethoukoukis about his new book, The Conservative Futurist, and the politics of innovation along with FAI’s Jon Askonas and Robert Bellafiore.

The Dynamist · James Pethokoukis, Robert Bellafiore, Jon Askonas, Evan Swarztrauber

February 29, 202455m 31s

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Show Notes

Many conservatives lament a decades-long stagnation of innovation. As Peter Thiel once quipped, “We wanted flying cars, instead we got 140 characters.” The rise of AI and other transformative technologies may augur an end to this stagnation, according to thinkers like Marc Andreessen, who joined The Dynamist recently to discuss techno-optimism. Others, of course, are more pessimistic. Will we end the Great Stagnation? Will we build the sci-fi future of our dreams? And where does the hurly-burly of politics fit into this conversation? 

Our guest today, James Pethokoukis, recently wrote The Conservative Futurist: How to Create the Sci-Fi World We Were Promised. Jim is a senior fellow and the DeWitt Wallace Chair at the American Enterprise Institute, where he analyzes US economic policy, writes and edits the AEIdeas blog, and hosts AEI’s Political Economy podcast. He is also a CNBC contributor and writes the Faster, Please! Substack. 

We’re also joined by FAI Senior Fellow Jon Askonas and Research Manager Robert Bellafiore. Robert recently reviewed James’ book for The New Atlantis. Jon has written extensively about the politics of innovation, including for Compact and American Affairs

Topics

techno-optimismphilosophypolitical philosophypoliticsstagnationtechtechnology