Agency: The Psychological History of Human Progress
Work
by Martin E. P. Seligman · 2026
In Agency, psychologist Martin Seligman argues that human progress is driven by agency—the combination of efficacy, optimism, and imagination. The book traces how this psychological capacity has shaped innovation and human flourishing across history, including periods when material conditions alone cannot explain progress.
2 episodes featuring Agency: The Psychological History of Human Progress
Hidden Brain
How helplessness reshapes motivation and agency
The episode connects uncontrollable adversity to passivity and depression while examining why explanatory style, imagination, and optimism can preserve agency.
Sep 21, 2026 · 54 min
The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk
Seligman argues agency powers resilience and human progress
The conversation links personal optimism, organizational performance, and historical change through agency—the capacity to act with efficacy, imagination, and evidence-based hope.
Sep 10, 2026 · 54 min