Progress - Favourable or Unfavourable?

[Generator]

Personally, how do you define “progress” and what is your opinion regarding the validity of the concept and its applicability to both history and the future?

Is it a nuisance, too subject to abuse and misappropriation by those with a disproportionate hand in the “creation” of history? Destroyer of tradition and bane of the conservative, ever present to wither away all vestiges of the known and trusted? Or is it an essential component to the advancement of mankind, without which we find ourselves appealing to the primitive and vulgar, retrograde and consigned to a fate of multiplying our past errors throughout the annals of time?

Progress – is it good, bad, or too amorphous to define?

[Kamandi]

If you're not moving forward, you're falling backwards.

[Generator]

If you're not moving forward, you're falling backwards.
True. On the whole I am in favour of what you could loosely define as the "progressive ideal" but I find that it is one of those hairy concepts which seem immutably sound from a distance, but lapse into contradiction when scrutinised.

I've met those who believe that progress is a destructive ideal, and those who shudder at the word "conservative." I was wondering how either side reconciles said contradictions in their world views.

[Faustian Dreams]

Progress – is it good, bad, or too amorphous to define?

None of the above; fails to exist.

[Hakluyt]

Depends on how you define it, which varies wildly depending on your politics. It's not necessarily a bane for conservatives. 'Progressive' has more frequently been a synonym for what we might call 'communitarian' now, or at least for a policy that contrasts sharply with libertarianism. Something of a noblesse-oblige approach to social policy as opposed to laissez-faire. That I'm comfortable with. "Progress" as an undefined on the path of history viewed in linear terms however is another matter

[Péter]

None of the above; fails to exist.

Agreed. For all intents and purposes, "progress" is a bullshit term because it contains no fundamental basis with which it can be put into context. It's a relative term, which like morality, has been made universal.

Teleology is dead! Without inherent goals to be reached, progress becomes one of the many myths carved into the pyrite of a reality for those who superimpose their foolishness to the point of reification. The current trend dictates that "progress" is profane: utilitarian, humanistic, and hedonistic.

And so I say, let progress see its telos: death!

[1-800]

Teleology is dead! Without inherent goals to be reached, progress becomes one of the many myths carved into the pyrite of a reality for those who superimpose their foolishness to the point of reification. The current trend dictates that "progress" is profane: utilitarian, humanistic, and hedonistic.


We are always told that this policy is social progress and that policy is social progress, ad infinitum.

I suppose we shall see what happens when reality finally strikes.

[Fade the Butcher]

Personally, how do you define “progress” and what is your opinion regarding the validity of the concept and its applicability to both history and the future?

I would say that progress is movement towards some ideal whereas degeneracy is movement away from it. Progress is an entirely valid and useful concept applicable to the past, present, and future.

Is it a nuisance, too subject to abuse and misappropriation by those with a disproportionate hand in the “creation” of history?

The term progress has been used to justify all sorts of abuses, but that hardly invalidates its utility. The defect in such cases lies in the misunderstanding of the individual, not the concept of progress.

Destroyer of tradition and bane of the conservative, ever present to wither away all vestiges of the known and trusted?

There is no essential conflict between tradition and progress. It is tradition that makes progress possible.

Or is it an essential component to the advancement of mankind, without which we find ourselves appealing to the primitive and vulgar, retrograde and consigned to a fate of multiplying our past errors throughout the annals of time?

Mankind doesn't advance. Humanity is nothing but a taxonomic classification. Our inquiries, however, can advance in so far as they are institutionalized as practices.

Progress – is it good, bad, or too amorphous to define?

Progress is good and can easily be defined.

[Anarch]

Progress towards the true, the beautiful and the good is favourable.

[OVERWATCH]

Not all change is good. There is 'good' progress and 'bad' progress. The opposite of progress is stasis, but clearly not all stasis is bad. It all depends on the context, the needs which must be met according to the situation-at-hand.

If you're not moving forward, you're falling backwards.

False, all human development is not linear.

[Ahknaton]

Progress is change for the better. All depends on what you define as better. You may as well ask "is goodness good?"

I believe that social "progress", especially leftist egalitarian conceptions of it along the lines of "social justice" can be regressive if pursued to the exclusion of other ideals such as pursuit of excellence, just as scientific & technological/economic progress needs to be balanced against spiritual and environmental values.

I think "social progress" should be seen as a means to an end (i.e. the answer to the question of what system of social relationships best facilitates a vigorous and healthy society capable of reaching its potential), as opposed to reifying "equality" and "racism" as moral absolutes and pursuing them as ends in themselves with masochistic fanaticism, as is the case with White liberals.

[Péter]

Essentially, the term is misleading, glib, and never sufficiently explanatory. There are more descriptive words for positive development toward a specific goal; however, "progress" connotes facilitation for humanity, but never improvement of mankind.

[Fade the Butcher]

Is truth preferable to falsehood, beauty to ugliness, good to evil? Absolutely.

[Blaphbee]

Is truth preferable to falsehood, beauty to ugliness, good to evil? Absolutely.
There are no absolutes ;) but there is truth to your statement.

However, the beauty of a flock of white doves is not always enhanced by the addition of a white swan. Often, it is enhanced by the presence of a black carrion crow.

Similarly, without pain, pleasure would be an awfully mediocre sensation.

In sum, both are essential.

[Kodos]

I like the slogan Franco's regime had about "progress"... development si, progress no.

Politically and socially the West reached the pinnacle of its development in "the gilded age".

[Generator]

I like the slogan Franco's regime had about "progress"... development si, progress no.

Naturally; this was in keeping with his unwavering anti-intellectualism. This was less a function of his stated intention to "defend Spain's traditional Catholic values" than a blatant policy to crush all dissent.

"Intellectualism" is indeed an inextricable aside to the progress debate.

[Hakluyt]

I like the slogan Franco's regime had about "progress"... development si, progress no.

Politically and socially the West reached the pinnacle of its development in "the gilded age".
'Development' forces it's own social change through inertia and via technoloy. Progressivism is about guiding necessary change in people's best interests sans economic or technological concerns. As such it's only relative to the values you put into it, but it's not inherently liberal or social democrat - Conservatives in Canada have no problem using the term to describe themselves (real Burkeans not classically liberal Smithites)

[BaronBloodSpawn]

all progress toward the new frontier or the furtherance of our people should be the ultimate goal for us all, and the only way to eliminate what is defiling pestilistic and humanistic in our society

[Hakluyt]

all progress toward the new frontier or the furtherance of our people should be the ultimate goal for us all, and the only way to eliminate what is defiling pestilistic and humanistic in our society
The fascist gets it

[Sinclair]

Progress is one of those words that can easily mean whatever the user wants it to mean. To be used in a concrete fashion, there has to be a path from A to B. If every year a country gains in, say, literacy, the end result to be at the same rate as is common among well-off countries, then there's progress. If progress is some amorphous thing...

[Laaien]

Personally, how do you define “progress” and what is your opinion regarding the validity of the concept and its applicability to both history and the future?

Progress – is it good, bad, or too amorphous to define?

I took this Thanksgiving off work, for the first time in probably 10 years. I got to go home and spend the holiday with family. Actually stop moving and just be for days at a time. While watching tv, and interacting with my children I realized.

Life moves fast, all thanks to that little thing called progress. The concept of waiting for something good is lost, its a now now now society. There is over 150 channels on tv, GET REAL. I asked my kids if they wanted to play a game, my son pulled out the play station, I meant cards or a board game. Monopoly took forever, he was ready to quit after 30 mins cause "this would have been quicker on the computer." Everything is so damn fast now.

I recall from religious studies a saying that as we(mankind) grow older, we are going to move further from perfection. So, while 1000's of years ago, we couldnt get from one end of the world to another in 20 hours, we also didnt have the means to globally destroy the world with a flick of a finger.

Now work with me here .... but.

If we are religious in any manner or form, if this is true, would you state the progression is better, or by biblical standards alone, negative and truly a regression to mankind?

With the progression of technology, we have the ability to globally distroy mankind. Nice....

With the progression of technology we have made it so our social skills are deteriorating, after all we have hands on instagratification via the internet.

This question is like a double edged sword. Sure its great having everything at our fingertips, but on the other hand its created a greedy "now now" monster in many of us.

There is a saying....

With every step forward, you take two step back....

Maybe that saying is there for a reason.