Phil Forum : Progress?
Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2019 6:26 pm
https://thephilosophyforum.com/discussi ... s-progress
Can we have true progress in one of these dimensions only, or is culture ultimately a product of the integration of all of them? — Pantagruel
I suppose "progress" is in the eyes of the beholder. It depends on your definition, and on your ability to see long-term trends in history. If you are wandering aimlessly, as many believe the universe is doing, just putting one foot in front of another is minimally progressive. But, if you have a specific goal, and the will to reach it, then progress will be apparent as you get closer to that destination, even if it's ultimately unreachable. For most living things in this world though, progress is simply living for one more day, since the "goal" of their genes is to reach sexual maturity, to reproduce, and to leave behind copies of your genes. Yet, for a few creatures, who can imagine the future and plan for it, more specific and arbitrary goals provide a sort of "pull" in a particular direction, which may not coincide with the "aims" of genes, or the "dialectic" of the world. In any case, Progress is measured relative to the plotted course toward a desired or specified end.
Nietzsche is famous for seeing no ultimate point to the arbitrary path of history : just change for the sake of change; going around in circles, the "eternal return". Others, such as Hegel, saw a progressive pattern in the zig-zag path of history, seemingly guided by a worldwide "will" : the "spirit of history". But the most adamant historical progressives are also pessimistic about Natural or Cultural progress, relying instead on divine Will to propel the world toward a final reckoning : Apocalypse. Most philosophers seem to be cautiously optimistic, in the sense that Ethical behavior is worth the effort.
Based on the Enformationism worldview, my position on progress falls somewhere in the middle range. LIke Hegel, I perceive a heuristic-but-progressive path of development across all the indicated domains : technological, scientific, aesthetic, historic, ethical. Of course, Technological progress is undeniable (e.g. Moore's Law) even though the long-term outcome may be debatable. But, like Steven Pinker in Better Angels of Our Nature, and Michael Shermer in The Moral Arc, I think even Moral progress is evident in history, for those who look beyond the front page Fake News. So yes, I believe the world, in all dimensions, is progressing in an overall upward arc toward some unknown ultimate over-the-horizon finale. Unfortunately, my personal path of self-interest may be unrelated to the Cosmic Progression, except to the extent that it gives me a reason for general optimism.
The Better Angels : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bette ... Our_Nature
The Moral Arc : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moral_Arc
Cosmic Progression : http://bothandblog3.enformationism.info/page28.html
Can we have true progress in one of these dimensions only, or is culture ultimately a product of the integration of all of them? — Pantagruel
I suppose "progress" is in the eyes of the beholder. It depends on your definition, and on your ability to see long-term trends in history. If you are wandering aimlessly, as many believe the universe is doing, just putting one foot in front of another is minimally progressive. But, if you have a specific goal, and the will to reach it, then progress will be apparent as you get closer to that destination, even if it's ultimately unreachable. For most living things in this world though, progress is simply living for one more day, since the "goal" of their genes is to reach sexual maturity, to reproduce, and to leave behind copies of your genes. Yet, for a few creatures, who can imagine the future and plan for it, more specific and arbitrary goals provide a sort of "pull" in a particular direction, which may not coincide with the "aims" of genes, or the "dialectic" of the world. In any case, Progress is measured relative to the plotted course toward a desired or specified end.
Nietzsche is famous for seeing no ultimate point to the arbitrary path of history : just change for the sake of change; going around in circles, the "eternal return". Others, such as Hegel, saw a progressive pattern in the zig-zag path of history, seemingly guided by a worldwide "will" : the "spirit of history". But the most adamant historical progressives are also pessimistic about Natural or Cultural progress, relying instead on divine Will to propel the world toward a final reckoning : Apocalypse. Most philosophers seem to be cautiously optimistic, in the sense that Ethical behavior is worth the effort.
Based on the Enformationism worldview, my position on progress falls somewhere in the middle range. LIke Hegel, I perceive a heuristic-but-progressive path of development across all the indicated domains : technological, scientific, aesthetic, historic, ethical. Of course, Technological progress is undeniable (e.g. Moore's Law) even though the long-term outcome may be debatable. But, like Steven Pinker in Better Angels of Our Nature, and Michael Shermer in The Moral Arc, I think even Moral progress is evident in history, for those who look beyond the front page Fake News. So yes, I believe the world, in all dimensions, is progressing in an overall upward arc toward some unknown ultimate over-the-horizon finale. Unfortunately, my personal path of self-interest may be unrelated to the Cosmic Progression, except to the extent that it gives me a reason for general optimism.
The Better Angels : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bette ... Our_Nature
The Moral Arc : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moral_Arc
Cosmic Progression : http://bothandblog3.enformationism.info/page28.html