All Progress Depends On Unreasonable People

Unreasonable ideas are the ideas that change the world. After all, when people say an idea is “reasonable,” they’re not saying that the idea is supported by reason. They’re not even saying it fits some standard of scientific rigor.

What they’re saying is “this idea fits my notions of the status quo.” When they say it’s “reasonable,” they’re admitting it’s safe. It’s comfortable. It’s dull. It conforms to expectations.

That’s why George Bernard Shaw said, “all progress depends on unreasonable men.”

The ideas that are a bit fringe—maybe even a little crazy—spark our imaginations. They inspire us to think beyond the status quo. The ones pushing those boundaries are the ones pushing the human race forward.

That’s why conferences like Voice & Exit are so important.

Most organizations, corporations, and governments claim to value “innovation.” It’s one of the go-to buzzwords when crafting an otherwise uninspiring mission statement. Everyone wants to be perceived as innovative. Few are willing to live it.

Voice & Exit is an event for true innovators.

Here’s to the crazy ones who want to build floating cities at sea, digital currencies that make central banks irrelevant, and legal codes that are open sourced. Here’s to the CEOs who want to 3D bioprint women’s breast tissue, and the people unreasonable enough to question the whole idea of a management hierarchy, or the taboos against consciousness technologies.

It’s not enough for these ideas to exist in the minds of unreasonable men and women. They need a home and a platform. Thomas Paine used pamphlets to spread his revolutionary manifesto throughout the American colonies. Today’s revolutionaries are using peer-to-peer networks to upend expert consensus and unbearable regimes.

Voice & Exit is that home and that platform. From the start it’s been our vision to cultivate an environment where unreasonable ideas aren’t merely discussed, they’re celebrated. And in 2015 we’re going to celebrate like never before.

We hope you’ll join us in Austin Texas on June 20-21st to participate in our “festival of the future.”

You can view the event details and order your tickets here.

It’s an opportunity for unreasonable people like you to hatch the next great way to turn the world upside down — for the better, of course. (At least you’ll know you’re not alone.)

See you in Austin this June.

Stay unreasonable,

Seth Blaustein and Max Borders

PS: Here’s a link to one of our favorite talks from last year about seasteading — an idea so crazy it just might work.