Do you believe in human progress?

Question

Has humanity improved over the past millenium or so, or is it that the gradual development of new technologies has created a false impression of progress.

Answer 1

I'd divide the issue into 2 parts. Sociological growth & Technological growth.

sociological would cover social progress, racial harmony, policy and the like.

technological would cover the externals like cell phones, space travel, and the like.

Mankind is advancing a bit social wise in just the past few weeks, The Imus affair brought black white relations to the forground. It is an open discussion now.

So, yes we are progressing.

Answer 2

I have kind of been thinking the same thing.  Seems like technology has improved the quality of life for many, but in terms of humanity I dont know if we have really accomplished anything.    Take for instance the internet and how fast information travels now, you could say that we have improved in this area.  But when you think about it, before maybe we had a lack of information, but now we have so much information we now need to spend the time, sorting through the irrelevant information as well as sort through the tons and tons of misinformation to get to what we need.  Seems like everytime we come up with solutions to problem we create 10 more problems that werent there.  Seems like we are always trying to advance but no one know where or what we are advancing towards.

Answer 3

There was progress even withing the last 40 years.  For example, the discrimination against g*y people was a norm 40 years ago. Now most people know that discrimination is immoral.  Moral progress is obvious.

Answer 4

That's a s**y question! Optimism leads me to believe yes without technology we have progressed. With my underlining cynicism, no that technology makes us think we have when we did not.

But in my heart, I believe we humans have static sense of being and it's subjective. Objectively is developing technologies a form of humanity progressing? So to answer your question I feel technology is a medium that humans progress everything else is static and we do not need to change unless we talk of societal evolution due to the world is getting "smaller" or to say a "global village". From there we learn to be together developing new technologies in hopes to sustain the earth and for the earth to sustain us.

Answer 5

theres no need to believe in it...it is a proven fact. the increase in human longevity is an indication of improvement in one way over the past millenium. development of technology is, itself,  progress though its questionable how negative or positive that progess is

Answer 6

Your question is kind of off the wall,I'm not sure what you are searching for,but I will try to answer your question. Humanity has progressed in so many ways. As social beings we have left the caves behind and moved on to better dwelling structures. Our gradual development of technologies have created a better life for all of us.How can it give you a false impression of progress? So, yes I believe in human progress,but we have so much more to learn.

Answer 7

The gradual development of new technologies IS progress?

Also, the awareness of man's inhumanity towards man is also progress.

The human condition has improved considerably as compared to 500 years ago, or even 200 years ago!

Answer 8

I think we're much better off than our prehistoric ancestors who had no government and were hunter-gatherers.  We're more civilized, structured, have a division of labor, etc..  But, if you're not going into prehistoric times...  

In some ways, we've progressed.  We've learned more about ourselves and the world.  I think, more importantly here, is anything related to philosophy and psychology.  The more we know about ourselves, the better we can fix our problems.  We've changed parts of society to favor equality and be more humane as well.

Unfortunately, we've created many more problems for ourselves.  And sometimes, we forget what we've learned, or forget to learn from our mistakes, and thus, do not progress.  

This new technology era puts emphasis and stress on the wrong things and lays it out heavily -- too heavily.  It creates distraction for us and causes us to be mentally broken down.  

In the end, I think we're constantly rising and falling since the dawn of civilization.  And we may end up falling more so.  We're focusing so heavily on technology and further advances (which will cause even more problems) but haven't caught up yet on our mental health.  Emphasis and stress has been placed on the skinny, the beautiful, and the provocative.  And a large portion of the world is just being left behind.  Technology also brings other problems as well.  In some ways, it has detracted from our physical health.  We are lazier, eat food that isn't healthy, pollute the environment, etc.

Unless someone changes something here and is able to change this, we're probably going to regress rather than progress.

Over the past millenium, we've progressed.  But lately, we're regressing.  Progress through technology, while regressing in the quality of humanity/human kind.  And anyway, with positives come negatives, which thus slows down any progress.

Answer 9

yes it has improved, .... gradual, what gradual about it .... in just over one hundred years we have become a species which can kill each other off a thousands times over...now that's progress.

the real progress is in the medical field, who among us have not been given a second or third or fourth chance at living because of medical breakthroughs.

you have to admit that our lives today is akin to living in luxury compared to just 50 years ago..

the first part of your question, has humanity improved...i would have to say no...we are still killing, stealing, raping, but that is our nature...isn't it.

Answer 10

I would say we have made huge progress.  We have conquered many diseases and learned how to increase agriculture and made our lives better in so many ways.  For those who don't think so, I would guess that they are a lot more fortunate than just about anyone living in the middle ages.

Answer 11

I believe in it.  Haven't seen much of it, but I believe.

Answer 12

No..the world is going to h**l in a hand basket because of our so called progress...we are killing the Earth and the atmosphere with pollution.

Answer 13

Progress is an illusion.  We live longer, but I don't think that automatically means we've progressed.

Look at the world aroun you.  People in civilized, Western societies are not all happy.  Many of them yearn for days gone by.  People in the third world seem worse off than ever.  Technology has made everything faster, more efficient, yet we still work ourselves to death.

War is still rampant, and on and on and on...

Maybe I'm just negative today.

Answer 14

Yes

Answer 15

Humanity progress improvement - nope & never will!

Chinese said these before 人心不古.

Humanity genetic gene progress improvement - Yes, people who has special ability and power - E=mc2 Gravity is 9.81 or people like TV heroes. And these special alway falls to the living good ones who never give in to the darkside of the force.