Angry Planet14 Nov 2025

Learning to Love the Stagnant Order

Is your Empire feeling less than fresh? Does it feel like the modern world’s best days are behind it? Do conquest and global power politics not hit as good as they used to? Welcome to the Age of Stagnation, a time when the fruits of the Industrial Revolution can be enjoyed but not replicated.

It’s making us all a little crazy, especially world leaders. With us today on the show is Michael Beckley, a political science professor at Tufts University and his career includes stretches at the Pentagon, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and the RAND Corporation. To hear Beckley tell it, stagnation might not be such a bad thing. If we can avoid repeating the worst mistakes of the 20th century and let go of a “number go up” mind set, then maybe we can all learn to enjoy a long age of stabilization.

The diminishing returns of the Industrial Revolution
Winners and losers in the Age of Ascent
Moore’s Law sputters out
Stabilization isn’t so bad. “We’re some of the luckiest people who’ve ever lived.”
Shenanigans and shithousery
AI isn’t “ready” yet
Why conquest doesn’t work anymore
China as a paper tiger in the age of stabilization
America’s unique advantages
“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” - Mike Tyson

The Stagnant Order

I Tried the Robot That’s Coming to Live With You. It’s Still Part Human.

Michael Beckley

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