Joel Mokyr is an Israeli-American economic historian who won the Nobel Prize in Economics 2026 for his groundbreaking work on technological change and the role of 'useful knowledge' in driving the Industrial Revolution. He is known for concepts like the 'Republic of Letters' and explaining how culture drives technological progress.

Why did Joel Mokyr win the Nobel Prize?

Mokyr won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Economics for his work on the economics of technological change, particularly his research on how the accumulation and spread of 'useful knowledge' — the marriage of science and craft — drove the Industrial Revolution and sustained economic growth.

What is The Market for Ideas?

A recombination engine that generates innovation hypotheses by crossing insights from psychology, physics, economics, and risk theory. It features 35+ thinkers including Nobel laureate Joel Mokyr, and combines concepts to spark novel ideas.

Who are the featured thinkers?

35+ thinkers including Nobel laureate Joel Mokyr (Useful Knowledge), Nassim Taleb (Antifragility), Matt Ridley (Recombinant Innovation), Johan Norberg (Progress), David Deutsch (Beginning of Infinity), Daniel Kahneman (Behavioral Economics), and more.

What is 'Useful Knowledge'?

A concept from Nobel laureate Joel Mokyr distinguishing between propositional knowledge (knowing that something is true) and prescriptive knowledge (knowing how to do something). The marriage of these two types of knowledge — science meeting craft — drove the Industrial Revolution.

What is The Black Swan book?

The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb is the most cited book of the 21st century. It explores rare, high-impact events that are unpredictable yet rationalized in hindsight. The book introduced concepts like Black Swan events, Extremistan, and epistemic arrogance.

Why is The Black Swan the most cited book of the 21st century?

The Black Swan revolutionized thinking about risk, uncertainty, and rare events across finance, science, and policy. Its concepts — particularly Black Swan events — have become essential frameworks for understanding modern complexity.

Who invented quantum computing?

David Deutsch is widely recognized as the pioneer of quantum computing. In 1985, he described the first universal quantum computer, proving that such a machine could simulate any physical process. His work laid the theoretical foundation for the entire field of quantum computation.

What is The Beginning of Infinity about?

The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch argues that problems are soluble through the creation of good explanations. It covers topics from quantum physics to artificial intelligence, making the case that human progress has no limits when driven by knowledge creation and error correction.

What is disruptive innovation?

Disruptive innovation, a theory developed by Clayton Christensen, describes how smaller companies with fewer resources can successfully challenge established incumbents. Disruptive innovations typically target overlooked segments, offering simpler, more affordable products that eventually move upmarket and displace established competitors.

What is The Innovator's Dilemma?

The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen explains why successful companies fail when faced with disruptive technologies. The 'dilemma' is that good management practices — listening to customers, investing in profitable products — can lead companies to ignore disruptive threats until it's too late.

What is predictive processing?

Predictive processing, developed by Andy Clark and others, is the theory that the brain is fundamentally a 'prediction machine.' Rather than passively receiving sensory input, the brain constantly generates predictions about what it expects to perceive, then updates these predictions based on 'prediction errors' — the difference between what was expected and what actually occurred.

What is the extended mind thesis?

The extended mind thesis, proposed by Andy Clark and David Chalmers, argues that cognitive processes extend beyond the brain into the body, tools, and environment. Your smartphone isn't just a tool you use — it's part of your cognitive system. This challenges traditional notions of where the mind ends and the world begins.

What is Moral Foundations Theory?

Moral Foundations Theory, developed by Jonathan Haidt, identifies six foundations of morality: Care/Harm, Fairness/Cheating, Loyalty/Betrayal, Authority/Subversion, Sanctity/Degradation, and Liberty/Oppression. Liberals tend to emphasize Care and Fairness, while conservatives value all six more equally, explaining political disagreements.

What is loop quantum gravity?

Loop quantum gravity, pioneered by Carlo Rovelli and Lee Smolin, is a theory that attempts to unify quantum mechanics and general relativity. It proposes that space itself is quantized — made up of discrete loops rather than being continuous. This challenges our deepest assumptions about the nature of spacetime.

What is split-brain research?

Split-brain research, conducted by Michael Gazzaniga and Roger Sperry, studied patients whose corpus callosum (connecting the brain hemispheres) was severed. They discovered that each hemisphere can operate independently, revealing 'the interpreter' — the left brain's tendency to create narratives explaining behaviors initiated by the right brain.

Vaclav Smil is a Canadian-Czech scientist and author of 50+ books on energy, materials, and global development. Bill Gates calls him 'the best teacher I've ever had.' His book 'How the World Really Works' explains the material foundations of modern civilization — why we depend on cement, steel, plastics, and ammonia.

What is the knowledge illusion?

The knowledge illusion, researched by Philip Fernbach and Steven Sloman, is our tendency to think we understand the world far better than we actually do. We confuse knowledge that exists in our community with knowledge in our own heads. This 'illusion of explanatory depth' has implications for politics, technology, and education.

What is the difference between kind and wicked learning environments?

David Epstein distinguishes between 'kind' learning environments (clear rules, immediate feedback, repetitive patterns - like chess or golf) and 'wicked' environments (unclear rules, delayed or misleading feedback, unique situations - like business, medicine, and innovation). In wicked environments, generalists often outperform specialists.

Should you specialize early or explore broadly?

According to David Epstein's research in 'Range,' elite performers in complex domains often sample broadly before specializing. Early specialization works in 'kind' environments with predictable rules, but 'wicked' environments reward those who develop broad knowledge and transfer learning across domains.

What is the Recombination Engine?

The Recombination Engine is a fertility clinic for ideas. Matt Ridley argued that innovation happens when 'ideas have sex' — we built the systematic matchmaking service. It features both 'natural conception' (curated lateral connections, serendipity mode) and 'assisted conception' (AI-powered idea generation that algorithmically matches concepts from different domains).

What is the AI Idea Generator?

Think of it as IVF for innovation. While our Lateral Connections show 'natural pairings' of ideas, the AI Idea Generator provides assisted conception — algorithmically matching concepts from different domains (Taleb's antifragility + Clark's predictive processing, for example) to generate novel 'offspring': concrete innovation hypotheses with business opportunities, relevant industries, and surprise factors.

How do I apply Range's ideas in practice?

If David Epstein's Range is the theory, The Market for Ideas is the practice. This platform systematically applies Range principles: the AI Idea Generator enables analogical thinking across domains; Serendipity Mode supports sampling before specializing; the Lateral Thinking Lab helps you see connections specialists miss. Use these tools to develop breadth that leads to breakthrough insights.

How does cross-domain thinking lead to innovation?

Research by David Epstein (Range) and Matt Ridley (The Rational Optimist) shows that breakthrough innovations often come from combining ideas across distant domains. This platform systematically enables this by crossing Lindy-robust concepts from psychology, physics, economics, and risk theory.

How does the idea generator work?

The AI Idea Generator is assisted conception for innovation. Select 'donor domains' (psychology, physics, economics, risk) or let the algorithm match randomly. Each generated 'offspring' includes an innovation hypothesis, concrete business opportunity, relevant industries, and surprise factor. Lock specific domains for targeted combinations or embrace serendipity for unexpected pairings.

The Market for Ideas

A recombination engine for useful knowledge

Generate innovation hypotheses by crossing insights from psychology, physics, economics, and risk — featuring Nobel laureate Joel Mokyr and the work of Ridley, Norberg, Epstein & Taleb.

🏆 Nobel Prize 2026: Joel Mokyr

Joel Mokyr won the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2026 for his groundbreaking work on technological change and useful knowledge.

Key concepts: Useful Knowledge • Republic of Letters • Industrial Enlightenment • A Culture of Growth

Explore Mokyr's Ideas →

📚 The Black Swan — Most Cited Book of the 21st Century

Nassim Nicholas Taleb's "The Black Swan" is the most cited book of the 21st century.

Key concepts: Black Swan Events • Extremistan • Narrative Fallacy • Epistemic Arrogance

Explore Taleb's Ideas →

🔬 David Deutsch — Pioneer of Quantum Computing

David Deutsch is the father of quantum computing and author of "The Beginning of Infinity" — one of the most influential books on epistemology.

Key concepts: Quantum Computing • The Four Strands • Constructor Theory • Fallibilism

Explore Deutsch's Ideas →

💡 Clayton Christensen — Father of Disruptive Innovation

Clayton Christensen's "The Innovator's Dilemma" is one of the most influential business books ever written.

Key concepts: Disruptive Innovation • Innovator's Dilemma • Jobs-to-be-Done • Sustaining vs Disruptive

Explore Christensen's Ideas →

📚 David Epstein — The Case for Generalists

"Range" by David Epstein is a New York Times bestseller proving generalists beat specialists in complex environments.

Key concepts: Kind vs Wicked Learning • Late Specialization • Match Quality • Learning to Drop Your Tools

Explore Epstein's Ideas →

🔄 The Recombination Engine

This platform systematically crosses Lindy-robust ideas from world-class thinkers. Based on Ridley's "ideas having sex", Taleb's Lindy Effect, and Epstein's Range.

Features: AI Idea Generator • 50+ Lateral Connections • Serendipity Mode

Try the Idea Generator →

Featured Thinkers

Joel Mokyr (Nobel Prize 2026) — Useful Knowledge, Republic of Letters, Industrial Enlightenment
Nassim Nicholas Taleb — Antifragility, Black Swans, Optionality, Skin in the Game
Matt Ridley — Recombinant Innovation, Ideas Having Sex, Rational Optimism
Johan Norberg — Progress, Open Society, Human Flourishing
David Deutsch — Beginning of Infinity, Fallibilism, Explanatory Knowledge
David Epstein — Range, Kind vs Wicked Learning, Generalists Beat Specialists
Daniel Kahneman — System 1 & 2, Cognitive Biases, Prospect Theory
Richard Feynman — First Principles, Feynman Technique, Curiosity-Driven Science
Charlie Munger — Mental Models, Latticework of Knowledge, Inversion
Vaclav Smil — Energy Transitions, Material Flows, Quantitative Analysis

Key Concepts

Useful Knowledge — Nobel laureate Mokyr's concept: the marriage of science and craft that drove the Industrial Revolution
Antifragility — Systems that gain from disorder and volatility
Black Swans — Rare, high-impact, unpredictable events
Optionality — Asymmetric bets with limited downside and unlimited upside
Recombinant Innovation — New ideas emerge from combining existing ones
Range — The power of broad experience over early specialization
Mental Models — Frameworks for understanding how the world works
First Principles — Breaking down problems to fundamental truths
Fallibilism — All knowledge is conjectural and improvable
Skin in the Game — Symmetry between risk and reward in decision-making

Explore

Ideas Market — AI-powered concept recombination
All Thinkers — Browse 35+ featured thinkers
Books — Curated reading list
Lateral Thinking Lab — Cross-domain connections
Serendipity Mode — Random idea generation
Psychology — Cognitive science concepts
Physics — Physics-inspired thinking
Taleb's Ideas — Risk and uncertainty
Deutsch's Ideas — Infinite progress