Substacks recommended by Randall Hayes

Recommended by Randall Hayes

SustainLab

By Robert Frederick

News and ideas for humanity's sustainable future.

On the Commons

By Antonia Malchik

Ownership, property, and what is stolen in the privatization of the commons.

Ruxandra's Substack

By Ruxandra Teslo

Pro-progress, anti-safetyist commentary on Scientific & Cultural matters from a Genomics PhD. Attempting to shape culture towards optimism, an abundance mindset & freedom.

really smart metascience thinking

- Randall Hayes

XPress Book Box

By Winston Malone

The XPress Book Box is a subscription service delivering a tailored "blind date with a book" that features indie authors and presses.

Winston is working so hard to highlight the work of other people.

- Randall Hayes

The Works in Progress Newsletter

By Works in Progress

New and underrated ideas to improve the world. Visit our website: worksinprogress.co

Uncharted Territories

By Tomas Pueyo

Understand the world of today to prepare for the world of tomorrow: AI, tech; the future of democracy, energy, education, and more

Everything Thomas does involves maps in some way, but otherwise, it's all over the place, which I love.

- Randall Hayes

The Great Progression: 2025-2050

By Peter Leyden on The Great Progression: 2025 to 2050

A grand narrative of our historic opportunity to harness AI & other transformative technologies to drive progress, reinvent America & make a much better world. A positive reframe of what's coming via essays, interviews & gatherings culminating in a book.

BIG by Matt Stoller

The history and politics of monopoly power.

Astral Codex Ten

By Scott Alexander

P(A|B) = [P(A)*P(B|A)]/P(B), all the rest is commentary.

Futurist Letters

By Cairo Smith

Animated by a modernist spirit. Essays and short fiction on tomorrow and the past. Buying exceptional work. Pseudonyms welcome.

A History of Mankind

By David Roman

The entire history of mankind, in regular installments. Not just European stuff, but the history of all mankind, from the Americas to Sub-Saharan Africa & Oceania

Unfolding the World

By J. Daniel Sawyer

Examining fundamental change during tumultuous times.

Asimov Press

Deep writing about biology.

The Fake History Hunter

I hunt fake history and correct it, but also post amazing real history stuff. Rude, obscene, vulgar, racist people who can't act like grown-ups get blocked.

Story Club with George Saunders

A place to explore the way the short story works.

Altered States of Monetary Consciousness

By Brett Scott

I explore the frontiers of modern money and technology, and draw pictures to help you see our economic system with new eyes

I think a lot about the mythology of money. Bret writes about the science of money -- which is a an invention, a tool -- and how that morphs into myth. "If the only tool you have is a hammer, it is tempting to treat everything as if it were a nail." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_the_instrument

- Randall Hayes

SolarPunk Stories

By Alex

Let's make a deliciously sustainable future together

Unapocalyptic

By Karl Schroeder

Karl Schroeder helps you achieve "earned" optimism about the future using a mix of wild science fiction speculation and hard-nosed strategic foresight. Paid subscribers get new serialized fiction, deeper analyses, and more input to the process.

Elan’s Substack

By Elan Barenholtz

Musings on the nature of mind and machines

Lunar Awards

By Winston Malone

Recognizing and sharing the best fantasy, horror, and science fiction on Substack.

because I write science fiction sometimes

- Randall Hayes

The Lost Tools of Learning

By Brandon

What if schools were designed for humans? Putting together a big-picture view of humanity to craft new kinds of schools.

Cabinet of Wonders

By Samuel Arbesman

Be prepared for radical interdisciplinarity: science + technology + complexity + humanities + wonder.

His latest post on model errors gets right to the point. As Leinweber notes: “Weak data require simpler models.” https://arbesman.substack.com/p/the-kitchen-sink-conundrum-and-simulations

- Randall Hayes

Of Boys and Men

By Richard V Reeves

rising to the challenges faced by the modern male

Of the 60+ students in my 3 freshie biology lab sections, 5 are chromosomally XY male (I assume; I haven't tested their chromosomes).

- Randall Hayes

Utopia’s Substack

By Utopia Science Fiction

My personal Substack

Zinestack

By Jen Mayer

In an age of algorithms, ads and SEO, zines offer a tangible alternative. Whether you're a creator, collector or curious, we’re here to inspire and connect. Discover zine makers and join a community celebrating zine culture and a do-it-yourself ethos.

Experimental History

By Adam Mastroianni

1) Find what's true and make it useful. 2) Publish every other Tuesday. 3) Photo cred: my dad.

"Like genes, opinions acquire errors over time, and they have to be perpetually proofread and repaired, or else they start going wonky and you end up with a whole tumorous ideology."

- Randall Hayes

Better Worlds Theory

By M L Clark

Media literacy, speculative lit, humanist essays, global analysis

Home Base with Jeff Warren

A friendly community with free guided audio meditations every week, and mini-essays on the baffle-wonder-challenge of somehow existing.

Quick Update

By Jeff Jackson

A first-person account of my experience as the Attorney General for North Carolina. Totally free.

There was a specific post about fake anger that I found refreshing and valuable, and not just because of the pro wrestling reference in the photo.

- Randall Hayes

The Elysian

By Elle Griffin

Exploring a utopian future through essay collections and print pamphlets.

Not just ideas but practices.

- Randall Hayes

Free the Inquiry

By Heterodox Academy

Free The Inquiry is Heterodox Academy’s home for essays, expert commentary, and conversations about open inquiry in the academy.

Luke Burgis Newsletter

Pursuing the mysterium tremendum et fascinans and writing at the intersection of philosophy, culture, art, technology, and religious wisdom.

because contagious culture is real

- Randall Hayes

Breaking Futures™

Breaking news of tomorrow. Speculative headlines from the future inspired by real science and the remarkable true stories of exploration and discovery.

Mr. and Mrs. Psmith’s Bookshelf

By Jane Psmith

The P is silent, as in pshrimp or pseudonym.

New_ Public

We’re a nonprofit R&D lab that’s reimagining social media. Join us in building digital public spaces that connect people, embrace pluralism, and build community.

While I play around with imagining better futures, they're trying to build the tools to make them happen.

- Randall Hayes

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction

By SFE

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (SFE) shares weekly updates, announcements, and articles of interest for readers of fantastika.

Animation Obsessive

Exploring the best in animation from all around the world — part investigation, part treasure hunt.

Cliodynamica by Peter Turchin

Ancient history and today's politics through the lens of Cliodynamics ("history as science"). Recent books: End Times (2023), The Great Holocene Transformation (2025).

Alexandra Fasulo

Currently building House of Green Saratoga

Seeds of Science

By The Seeds of Science Newsletter

Publishing independent research and curating the best science writing from across the blogosphere.

Crow + the Poet with Lex Orgera

Dispatches from a homebody poet. On poetry, art, nature, plant lore, ghosts, and a writerly life. Squawk.

Having met Lex in person recently, it seems like there's a lot of interesting stuff swimming around in her head.

- Randall Hayes

Fight to Repair

By Fight To Repair Newsletter

Fight to Repair reports from the front lines of the global fight for the right to repair our stuff. Written by Paul Roberts and Jack Monahan of Secure Resilient Future Foundation (SRFF), F2R brings you original reporting, news roundups and podcasts.