From the time of the French Philosophes of the Enlightenment, thinkers of the West have proposed the idea that history follows a progression or evolution toward a better future. Some philosophers, such as Hegel, even suggested that this progress would eventually lead toward an 'end'. The suggestion of progress leads to many questions, however...for example, what is progress? What criteria can we use to judge whether or not a civilization or culture is progressing? Toward what end are we progressing? If we believe in progress, are we suggesting that some cultures are further along in the chain of progress than others?

All of these questions have, of course, been asked before, and written about ad nauseum. The theories of progress and cultural/historical evolution have led to fantastic research and literature...but they've also led to ideas, such as Social Darwinism, that have contributed to war and destruction. Yet...the questions still haven't been fully resolved.

What are your opinions on human progress? Have we made any yet or are we merely cavepeople with fancy technology? Please feel free to opine and fear not for your views/opinions/positions...everyone is open to hold whatever position they would like...but be prepared for civilized debate!

Progress, development or growth has certain costs, if not to us directly then other inferior members are to bear.

Some things in life make you seriously question if human beings have truly evolved. There seem to be some basic instincts that you could never change no matter what environment you put someone in.
There seem to be basic instincts towards violence and when man (sorry but I'm using this term for this example) is not faced with danger and violence in his daily life, he seems to seek it out in his sports, or other areas. (I'd be the first to say this is where it belongs, sports is the healthiest method of expressing this urge!)
When the Romans "improved" things, and they were truly miraculous engineers, they had massive unemployment, and in order to content the masses they had to make the arenas to hold truly violent representations to get it out of the unemployed's systems.
I know it sounds funny but we all believe that we take better care of our health now. And yet, in many ways, humans used traditional methods of caring for their health, sometimes the weaker members died, or else they were protected and had their own niche in society; depending on what it was. And chicken pox either killed you or you survived and had the immunities.
No I wouldn't advocate the controversial topics column we had recently, of course. But I simply see the reliance on doctors and health care systems that create a dependency and people forget to see that the answer might very well be inside them.
I don't believe that maternal formula is progress, I see the way that it has created a commercial dependency throughout the world, under the guise of freeing women from a disagreable task. In Africa they adopted the custom, and cut the formula with impure water. Children therefore lost what immunities they had.
I studied a few of these questions in depth, the pros and cons, the condition of women in particular.

I do not have a typical view though.
I also advocate supporting other women in whatever choice they make, in a more traditional society perhaps, you had a place. Mothers weren't excluded in a little cell, the home, without friends, relatives, mothers and grandmothers and aunts to help them. And then blamed in the end for whatever problems arose.
No matter what social class you came from the children were either brought up with household help amongst the affluent, or relatives, or in an agricultural society the mother took her baby with her to work.

Handicapped people usually had a niche in a village society. They still do here in Europe in some places.
Rather than putting them in a center, they had useful jobs and could contribute to the life.

You'll also notice that pharmaceutical progress is relying heavily on products that come from the Amazon forest and nature. Even traditional medicine uses them.

Of course I believe there is progress, but sometimes things in the basic nature of humankind, come back to haunt us.
And we have to look at them and wonder.
And we also have to live in the world we have or else improve it.

Wasn't there a philosopher who said that evolutionary development was characterised by a progression from the simplest components of matter and energy through the organization of flora and fauna (= the biosphere) to the complex formations of sentient and cognitive human life (the noosphere)? And that we all were moving from the Alpha of Creation to the Omega point, which would be the fulfilment and the final ecstasy Hallelujah For Ever??
Or are we just on a subway train gone berserk and racing through the bowels of the Universe and no Trainconductor to be seen and the whole dashboard out of control and the seasontickets long expired so that we even feel guilty about the simple fact of being on this train?
If you ask me, I would say there is a lot of "eternal return" too and there may be movement towards higher perfection of tools and techniques but if there is a serious improvement of well-being and "real" results, is another matter altogether.

Somebody once put it like this : every time a reform, an innovation, a political or other decision brings about
10% of improvement it will take about a decade to discover that the improvement also brings about a 10% deterioration in another domain that takes us back to where we were.
If we move forward it's certainly in circular patterns, and it remains doubtful whether in the end we are better off.

Eternal return is what Nietzsche suggested.The Alpha to Omega man was Teilhard de Chardin.

[ 01-11-2002: Message edited by: flem ]

[ 01-11-2002: Message edited by: flem ]

Samsara to vicious circles are rarely mitigated by the bestial responses and emotional flare ups tied to the archaic brain. The vestiges of the past remain despite the evolutionary advance of the neo-cortex. In terms of "spiritual evolution" of man, I am sure it is occurring on a microscopic level, as we speak. Perhaps, over several millions (supposing we still exist) a dramatic spiritual change shall occur.

Football, although my favorite sport, does seem like a vestigial organ of violence leftover from our Neanderthal days, but shall remain somehow ingrained with us into our future. How cannot we stop admiring overtly muscular men in strange costumes trying to annihilate themselves for our mere spectacle?

Plus all that "Doom & gloom" German philosophy from Hegel, Spengler, to Adorno-Horkheimer is part of the wartime angst they faced during their times, without any objectivty. Of course, we are evolving by eliminating the uncessary chaff from the Global scene and streamlining the economy to fit the Global economy as we speak now. I am sure the unification of the planet will raise the standard of living immensely in this country, and with it a great spiritual enlightenment shall soon follow.