Stubborn Attachments: A Vision for a Society of Free, Prosperous, and Responsible Individuals

Cowen's philosophical argument that sustained economic growth — broadly defined to include environmental quality, leisure, and human capabilities — is a moral imperative because it is the only reliable mechanism for improving human wellbeing across long time horizons. The book is deliberately short and rigorous, building from a few premises about discount rates and intergenerational ethics to a conclusion that growth should be treated not as one priority among many but as the overriding policy goal. Cowen acknowledges the provocativeness of this position and engages seriously with objections from both the left and the right. For product leaders, the book reframes the question of what technology companies are for: not growth as a metric to satisfy investors, but growth as the compound process through which future generations inherit a better world. It is the philosophical foundation beneath the techno-optimist position, stated more carefully and honestly than most of its popularisers manage.