Does Progress Begin with Destruction? — A Dialogue Between a Physicist and an Economist

Zoom Webinar (Register here)

In economics, there is a well-known idea that new technologies and ideas replace older ones, driving progress. This concept, known as “creative destruction,” was a central theme in the 2025 Nobel Prize in Economics. In contrast, physics teaches us the principle of conservation: nothing is lost, everything simply changes form. So, is economic progress truly about destruction—or is it more about transformation? In this lecture, a physicist and an economist will explore the differences between these perspectives, and discuss topics such as sustainable growth and the power of human imagination, in a way that is accessible to all.

Speaker
Jean Louis VIOVY
(Invited Professor, Tokyo College, The University of Tokyo; Research Director Emeritus, CNRS-Institut Curie-IPGG)

Speaker
Takeo HOSHI
(Director, Tokyo College; Professor, Graduate School of Economics, The University of Tokyo)

Moderator
SHIMAZU Naoko (Deputy Director, Tokyo College, The University of Tokyo)