Is progress inevitable and does it make civilization better?

Irwin

Irwin

Well-known Member
Location
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
Progress. It is one of the animating concepts of the modern era. From the Enlightenment onwards, the West has had an enduring belief that through the evolution of institutions, innovations and ideas, the human condition is improving. This process is supposedly accelerating as new technologies, individual freedoms and the spread of global norms empowers individuals and societies around the world. But is progress inevitable? Its critics argue that human civilization has become different, not better, over the last two and a half centuries. What is seen as breakthrough or innovation in one period becomes a setback or limitation in another. In short, progress is an ideology not a fact; a way of thinking about the world as opposed to a description of reality.
 

I can see that there has been much progress in the area of medicine over the past 100 years, new treatments keeping people living much longer lives. I can see progress as a reality in the area of medicine. There also has been a lot of progress in the manufacturing of automobiles and now cars have computers and other gadgets to make a car more functional and cars can be powered by electricity.
 
I believe so-called progress is inevitable because humanity cannot resist changing/altering his/her environment in the search for something greater. Progress is an illusive term that means different things to different people. Human nature is more so about personal gain rather than what is good for all.
Yes, as long as we can tear down and rebuild, progress is inevitable.
 

Change is inevitable, some of it might be called progress, but that is subjective. And our civilization will change, it has been changing since it first appeared 10,000 or so years ago. For the better? Again a subjective question, the answer is in the eye of the beholder.

Over the years, as I age, I realize these changes are inevitable and there is little I can do to effect the changes. I do my best, vote, try to act responsibly, but my impact is small. On the other hand there are things I can do to make it better for myself and my family and friends, that is what I mostly try to do about it. And in that small way I can have some real impact.

Time marches on, with or without us!
 

Is progress inevitable and does it make civilization better?​


In my case...yes

After living in an off grid cabin in the mountains for five years, oh HELL yeah!

Today I marveled at taking something outa the chest freezer, zapping it in the microwave.....and eating.

We did have a small propane fridge at the cabin, but it tended to freeze things.
No microwave

I don't know how my lady put up with it all
But...she did

Even baked bread in the BBQ

Oh, and the handheld shower nozzle
Whoever came up with that deserves the Nobel
 
Once again I'll recommend a book to help you frame the current state of the human condition. Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About The World - And Why Things Are Better Than You Think by Hans Rosling, Ola Rosling, Anna Rosling Rönnlund

Some people point out that progress up to this point has threatened our environment and caused some animals to go extinct. However we've also made progress in recognizing these shortcomings from earlier progress and realize we need to consider these things when making future decisions. So sometimes progress applies to awareness itself rather than just changing the world around us.
 
asp3 said:
Once again I'll recommend a book to help you frame the current state of the human condition. Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About The World - And Why Things Are Better Than You Think by Hans Rosling, Ola Rosling, Anna Rosling Rönnlund

Some people point out that progress up to this point has threatened our environment and caused some animals to go extinct. However we've also made progress in recognizing these shortcomings from earlier progress and realize we need to consider these things when making future decisions. So sometimes progress applies to awareness itself rather than just changing the world around us.
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Yes, I have trouble with the word progress. I mean, it's ambiguous. You're pointing out the progress of ideas and personal growth. I agree. Progress in invention and technology is often (maybe inevitably) eye-opening at some point.
 
I believe the concept of "progress" is a rather modern one. But I think the actual change from a less complicated to a more complicated way of life has been going on since when we were swinging in the trees. Our whole human history is the steps we went from finding 'cool 'always under a tree to having machines running around Mars. One of the hallmarks of our species is how well we learn from our forebears, and capitalize on it. Progress makes civilization possible, but humans are a basic commodity, who have to learn to be civilized.
 
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We have been blessed, in our lifetime, with progress. So many miracles of modern medical technology that our forefathers did not have. Organ transplants.... joint replacements.... vaccines for polio and other debilitating/fatal diseases... I shattered a knee in 1977. They kept me in the hospital for 31 days!!!! 2009, had a total knee replacement. Sent home 24 hours after the surgery.
Communication... Letters from my dad during WWII took months to come from Europe to the U.S. When our son has been deployed, he either calls via cell phone or emails. We couldn't make a long distance call or even an emergency call after 10 p.m. when I was growing up. "Long distance" calls of 20 or 30 miles cost a lot of money. If you had an emergency on the road, you had to find a phone booth. Today, we can talk 24/7... across the globe... with this device in our pocket.
World Book Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia Britannica, etc. were outdated before they left the press room. Today we know what is going on thousands of miles away, moments after it happens. Research is as easy as "Googling it".

So... I'm a fan of "progress" as that progress has made life better/easier for so many of us. And then...

Digital devices that take photos or text have antiquated photos and hand-written letters. The next generations will not have the paper stories we had in letters from friends and relatives. We are in possession of a bundle of letters an uncle of my wife sent home during WWII. His plane went down and he was killed 7 days before the Germans surrendered. There is a written "story" to remember who he was and his dreams for when he returned home. Photos of grandparents, early homes, etc. won't be there in a few generations.

Go to a restaurant and look around. Families going out to eat and they aren't talking to each other. Parents and kids have their noses in their cell phones. Social media has caused suicides, domestic abuse, influenced political elections, etc. I believe people are getting married without having a long conversation except by way of texting!!!!

Progress in manufacturing has eliminated many jobs. People would work in factories for their entire career, while today those same jobs are performed by robots. So many family farms saw each with implements, tractors, milk cows, etc. Today, it's corporate farming with $300,000 combines and $250,000 tractors. Even farm kids have not hand-milked a cow, dressed and butchered a chicken, gathered eggs, and other tasks. How many kids, today, have no idea where hamburger, milk, canned veggies, etc. come from?

Our goal in life should be to leave society and this Earth better than when we found it. IMHO, my generation has failed that task. We're leaving a mess behind for the next generations to clean up. And... I feel helpless that I can't wave a magic wand and fix it.

I'm content, today, typing this on my laptop. I'm content watching the impending thunderstorms on radar on my phone or laptop. I'm content discovering what that ailment is... bug is... flower is... and even being able to play "Games" on an internet forum. "Progress" though can be advantageous or.... Well, you get my drift!
 
Murrmurr said:
Yes, I have trouble with the word progress. I mean, it's ambiguous. You're pointing out the progress of ideas and personal growth. I agree. Progress in invention and technology is often (maybe inevitably) eye-opening at some point.
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Agreed, we each frame progress differently. One person's progress can be another person's ecological disaster or infringement of their rights or an abomination against their god. There are all sorts of situations where progress for one is seen as regression by another.
 

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