Human progress has slowed since 1969—especially when viewed through the arc of history.

We landed on the moon in July 1969. Just three weeks later, Woodstock began.

With the benefit of hindsight, it feels like that was the turning point - when the pace of scientific and technological progress began to slow. The space race gave way to a cultural shift, as the focus moved from outer space to "inner space."

Exploration turned inward - through yoga, meditation, psychedelic experiences, and personal transformation. Somewhere along the way, the collective ambition to build and reach beyond faded into a search for meaning within.

Today, it feels like the world no longer expands through the hard sciences. The last major leap was arguably in semiconductors, and even that is decades old. Since then, capitalism has nudged the brightest minds away from physics, chemistry, and space—and into software, finance, and other "soft sciences" like computer science.

I've been reading a lot of Peter Thiel lately, and he has additional views in this area. What are your thoughts?