Do you think that the pinnacle of human achievement exists in the past, the present, or the future? Why?
Must reference (with a citation) at least one of the module’s resources.
The Idea of Progress
There are many different ways of measuring progress, and the plethora of ways “progress” is worded reflects that; quality of life, human development, modernization, economic development, scientific advancement, all mean and are ways of measuring “progress.” Today, most governments measure human progress in terms of a nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which measure’s a nation’s overall economic growth. However, that is considered an unsatisfactory system of measurement by many, and thus was born the Human Development Index (HDI). Click here (opens in a new window) to read a summary of the HDI, then click here (opens in a new window) to read about how the GDP alone should not be the standard by which progress is measured. Most people today believe that man is, and always has been, consistently progressing toward a better state of existence. Technology plays an important role in this, as technology is a very visible symbol of man’s progression. Although progress today is measured in GDP and the HDI, the idea of human progress and how it is measured has shifted at key points throughout recorded history, and the idea of where and when the “height of humanity” is or was has changed throughout the centuries.
For the majority of known history, people have largely believed that humanity’s most advanced state happened in the past. Starting with the Greeks, the idea came about that the simpler past was more “perfect” than the complicated and degenerated present. Greek philosophers believed that the world is decaying rather than progressing, and that the present is a time of degeneration. This belief persisted for the next two thousand years.
Continuing the concept of degeneration that the Greek philosophers avowed, the Romans believed that the ancient Greek civilization was more advanced than they themselves were. Therefore, when Rome conquered Greece, the Greeks were kept as intellectual slaves. Their slavery was unique in that they were kept as teachers to the wealthy Roman’s, so that their children could learn the language, philosophies, and culture of the Greeks. The Romans even took the Greek pantheon of gods, giving them Roman names, but otherwise keeping their personalities, histories, and stories intact.
During the Middle Ages (often called the Medieval or the Dark Ages), Europeans believed that Rome represented the height of human society, culture, and achievement. Just as the Romans had done with Greece, so too did Europe do to the Romans. The Medieval Europeans, however, developed the idea that the achievements and progression of man is under humanity’s own control, not necessarily subject entirely to natural forces; they believed they could recreate the glory of the Roman Empire, bringing humanity back to the more advanced state of the past. To this end, many European kingdoms united together, with the Catholic Church and the memory of Rome as a guide, and created the Holy Roman Empire as an attempt to recreate what they considered the pinnacle of humanity. Although it was not seen as such at the time, the idea that humans have control of their own fate was a watershed event that would, ultimately, impact the entire world.
The Renaissance fomented the Medieval idea that progress is controlled by human factors rather than natural forces. As Europe experienced a massive economic boom from the period of colonization and the end of the Black Death, spirits were high and the future looked bright. With the ending of feudalism, people felt freer than ever before. This led to a sensation of unboundedness, which, as we will see in Module 5, led to technological progress, which in turn furthered the idea that humanity was neither stagnant nor in decline, but rather moving forward toward better days. Click here (opens in a new window) to read “The Concept of Progress” by James Bossard, which summarizes the idea of progress up to the modern era. If for some reason the text will not open, click on the PDF version of the file near the bottom of the main Module 4 page.
By the beginning of the eighteenth century, the idea that man had control of his destiny was the norm. This led to the Age of Enlightenment, which has impacted the human condition in innumerable ways. The Enlightenment was a movement toward reason and progress and away from the ideas of stagnation and regression that traditional human thought persisted throughout the previous two thousand years. At its very core, the Enlightenment was the idea that humans can control their own fate. This idea, as mentioned above, was a fundamental shift in human thinking. It allowed for the pursuit of scientific and social change in a way never before seen. It was the Enlightenment that caused the Scientific Revolution, as well as the move from absolute monarchies to egalitarian democracies, the United States of America being the standard-bearer for this movement. Click here (opens in a new window) to read the History Channel’s writeup on the Enlightenment. Pay attention to where it explains that “There was no single, unified Enlightenment. Instead, it is possible to speak of the French Enlightenment, the Scottish Enlightenment and the English, German, Swiss or American Enlightenment. Individual Enlightenment thinkers often had very different approaches” (History.com Staff). This is very true, but the core of all these Enlightenment thinkers is the concept mentioned several times above: people can control human progress; progress is not controlled by an outside source.
The question is still being asked today: Are humans progressing, regressing, or plateauing? Click here (opens in a new window) to watch a (poorly edited, I know) video which introduces the subject from a modern viewpoint and provides a bit of food for thought.
The real question for today is not so much whether we are progressing technologically, but whether our technological advancement is sustainable. The vast majority of power in the United States comes from nonrenewable sources (“What Is U.S. Electricity Generation by Energy Source?”). There is no argument that fossil fuels will run out one day; the only argument is when they will run out. Many people believe that the world has a century or more of fossil fuels left at the rate we are consuming them, while others think it’s much, much less. The question becomes whether or not we can sustain our current standard of living, much less progressing it further, without fossil fuels. Click here to watch a video discussing the sustainability of our current lifestyle. There are many arguments that there is no way to sustain our current standard of living. Click here (opens in a new window) to watch a video that explains the unsustainable nature of the present times. The idea that we have reached the peak of progress is alluring, but very pessimistic.
On the other side of this argument is that the lack of sustainability of our current energy consumption is becoming, and will continue to be, the impetus for further technological advancement which will continue and advance our standard of living indefinitely. There are many people and corporations working toward moving energy sources to be truly sustainable. One such example of this is Elon Musk of the Tesla automobile corporation. He and his company are working on making electric cars not only affordable, but practical for everyday people. As oil prices continue to climb, electric vehicles are becoming a more viable option for many people (just look at the prevalence of hybrid cars these days), and the idea of renewable power is becoming more palatable. This video (opens in a new window), an interview with Elon Musk, offers a discussion of not only what very near-future technology will be like, but what is being done right now to make it happen. Even right now, we are on our way to a sustainable future. Germany, one Europe’s strongest economic producers, now generates the vast majority of its power from renewable sources, serving as a litmus test for sustainability (Kroh).
So as you have read, the idea of human progress is complicated and infinitely debatable; it is a many-faceted discussion that has been going on for millennia. Each economic upturn or downturn, every major technological advancement, all great wars, and with every great philosopher, the conversation continues and turns, sometimes for a brief period, and occasionally, such as with the Enlightenment, the idea of progress changes enough to allow a seismic shift in human behavior. As we will see next week, the idea of progress can both help and hinder progress itself.
Works Cited:
History.com Staff. “Enlightenment.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 3 Sept. 2014.
Kroh, Kiley. “Germany Sets New Record, Generating 74 Percent Of Power Needs From Renewable Energy.” ClimateProgress. ThinkProgress, 13 May 2014. Web. 6 Sept. 2014.
“What Is U.S. Electricity Generation by Energy Source?” U.S. Energy Information Administration. U.S. Department of Energy, 13 June 2014. Web. 6 Sept. 2014.
