Research Fellow @HumanProgress @CatoInstitute. @IWF Visiting Fellow. Author, Centers of Progress + Grim Old Days: https://xitter.cf/t.co/6Vu4GdM3wd
Washington, DC
Joined February 2010
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The first copies of my book are here!
The result of years of research and writing, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘪𝘮 𝘖𝘭𝘥 𝘋𝘢𝘺𝘴 takes the reader on a tour of a thankfully lost world of bloodletting, filth, destitution, and famine-induced cannibalism.
Pre-order now: a.co/d/0hrciEBm
Chelsea Olivia Follett retweeted
"Follett’s book is an exercise in gratitude disguised as a catalogue of horrors." — @DanHugger summarizing the essence of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘪𝘮 𝘖𝘭𝘥 𝘋𝘢𝘺𝘴.
Watch the full episode: youtube.com/watch?v=Nru6GMHl…
I greatly enjoyed speaking about the book with @iangolan for @speakfreelymag. We went in-depth on many aspects of everyday life in the past.
In the preindustrial world, children from poor families were often expected to work as soon as they were physically able, sometimes at just four or five years old.
By eight, a child without work could even be condemned as idle.
Learn more about how radically childhood has changed in @chellivia’s new book, The Grim Old Days.
The interview: wespeakfreely.org/2026/10/23…
Buy your copy: amazon.com/Grim-Old-Days-Int…
Chelsea Olivia Follett retweeted
In the preindustrial world, children from poor families were often expected to work as soon as they were physically able, sometimes at just four or five years old.
By eight, a child without work could even be condemned as idle.
Learn more about how radically childhood has changed in @chellivia’s new book, The Grim Old Days.
Chelsea Olivia Follett retweeted
7/7Bottom line: The economists are proving to be more accurate than the technologists. The AI transition will bring changes, but a sudden job apocalypse isn't one of them.
fasterplease.substack.com/p/…
Chelsea Olivia Follett retweeted
I enjoyed @DanHugger ‘s interview with @chellivia about her new book, The Grim Old Days. I’m looking forward to starting it this weekend.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas…
Chelsea Olivia Follett retweeted
Highly recommended.
COMING OCTOBER 29: I'm launching a new economics podcast for the @CatoInstitute called The Economics of It.
Subscribe now to ensure you receive the first episode with @Kalshi CEO @mansourtarek_ direct to your feed.
Links to channels in next tweet.
"Follett’s book is an exercise in gratitude disguised as a catalogue of horrors." — @DanHugger summarizing the essence of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘪𝘮 𝘖𝘭𝘥 𝘋𝘢𝘺𝘴.
Watch the full episode: youtube.com/watch?v=Nru6GMHl…
Read his full write-up: reignofconscience.com/p/hesi…
Procure your copy of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘪𝘮 𝘖𝘭𝘥 𝘋𝘢𝘺𝘴: a.co/d/015WkFCz
It was a pleasure to discuss the book with @RichardMorrison, a true lover of history, in @ceidotorg's studio. Check out the episode:
Our interview for Ep 197 is w/ @chellivia of the @CatoInstitute & author of the new book "The Grim Old Days." We talk about tradition, history, nostalgia, prosperity, and the brutal realities of life in previous centuries: youtube.com/watch?v=rXAsA3l_… (2/3)
Chelsea Olivia Follett retweeted
Watch the full episode: youtube.com/watch?v=Nru6GMHl…
Chelsea Olivia Follett retweeted
How will the AI Revolution affect human living standards?
@chellivia (@catoinstitute) joins @DanHugger on the Acton Line podcast to discuss her new book "The Grim Old Days: An Introduction to the Preindustrial Past," and what lessons we can learn from the Industrial Revolution that may impact the new frontier of AI.
Be like Jon.
Get it. Read it. Cast off unrealistic nostalgia. Heed the words of Qoheleth in Ecclesiastes 7:10: "Do not say, 'Why were the old days better than these?'" Be thankful you live in the modern era. @chellivia
Many thanks to @TheIHS for the opportunity to present on 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘪𝘮 𝘖𝘭𝘥 𝘋𝘢𝘺𝘴 today. To safeguard the future, we must face the past and recognize how far we've truly come.
Liberal democracy in the United States has persisted for 250 years because each generation tested it and adapted it to changing circumstances. Today it faces a crisis of confidence and execution.
The inaugural Liberal Solutions Summit, hosted by IHS, opens today in Washington, DC. Over the next few days, scholars, builders, and leaders will take five problems we currently face as Americans and try to build consensus around a solution to each: trust in institutions, the future of news, the values built into AI, the psychology of abundance, and the path to energy abundance.
The summit rests on a simple premise: liberal democracy and material abundance depend on people who test ideas against real problems. Follow along for what comes next, as our participants come together to create #liberalsolutions
