Medicine vs. Biology

Progress studies are akin to Medicine, whereas economic history is akin to Biology — the latter explains what happens, but not why it happens and how to make it better.

Progress Studies ≈ Medicine

• Both aim to understand the underlying mechanisms of growth, improvement, and well-being.
• Just as medicine seeks to diagnose and treat illnesses, Progress Studies tries to identify the factors that hinder or accelerate human development (e.g., poverty reduction, education levels).
• In both cases, the goal is to develop effective interventions to improve outcomes.

Economic History ≈ Biology

• Both focus on describing what has happened in the past.
• Economic historians examine how economic systems have evolved over time, analyzing events and trends that have shaped societies. Similarly, biology studies the diversity of life forms and their interactions within ecosystems.
• While both fields provide valuable insights into historical phenomena, they do not necessarily offer direct guidance on how to improve or transform those outcomes.

Progress Studies (like Medicine) is more concerned with understanding causality and finding solutions to problems, whereas Economic History (like Biology) primarily aims to describe what has occurred in the past. This dichotomy can be helpful for policymakers, researchers, and scholars seeking to design effective interventions or inform policy decisions.