The Nobel Prize in Economics (2025) was awarded to Joel Mokyr (economic historian) for “explaining innovation-driven economic growth and identifying the prerequisites for sustainable growth through technological progress”, and to Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt (economic growth theorists) for “developing a theory of sustainable growth through creative destruction” (Nobel website (https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/2025/popular-information/)).
🔴 In his works, Mokyr emphasizes the role of progress and interaction between science and technology, the existence of skilled professionals and a society open to new changes, and overcoming the resistance of interest groups whose assets are threatened by new technology in sustainable economic growth. Aghion and Howitt also focus on the concept of “creative destruction” in their theory. According to them, economic growth through innovation leads to the erosion of rents and positions of incumbent firms because it challenges their businesses.
🔴 The work of both groups of winners shows that innovation and technological change have been the main driving force behind the unprecedented economic growth of the past two centuries. However, this trend is not guaranteed to continue, and threats such as the weakening of support for science, barriers to the free exchange of ideas, and the way dominant technology companies are regulated may challenge future growth. These issues and topics can open theoretical, normative, and philosophical debates in the field of philosophy of science and technology about the political economy of technology, the distributional effects of technological change on society, including the winners and losers of creative destruction, the epistemological links between science and technology, and optimal policies for competition and innovation (such as the regulation of technology monopolies).
🔸 The Journal of Philosophy of Science invites researchers to submit their articles on the philosophical dimensions related to these issues and topics (in the form of opinion, review, promotional, and research articles) to the journal. These articles will be given priority for publication.
