Progress??

[Sparrisen]

"Say what you will about society, but in several cases, it takes our selfish momentary needs and makes use of it in a way that takes us one step further, instead of one step backwards."

I want to criticize my own quote above. The above line seems to imply that we are, somehow, making progress as a race and society. How so? What is progress?

Is progress our ability, as a race to survive whatever the environment throws at us?
Is progress how happy and content most people are?
Is progress... how many people are converted to your religion?

Because, well, currently our society are turning the environment AGAINST us, there's more unhappy and sucidal people in the nuthouses than ever, and atheism has probably never before been so widespread. Still, I feel we're making progress. What is progress, and are we getting there?

[Hullu]

What is the goal and do we wanna achieve it?

[ReverendLostLamb]

I feel that for each step we move forward we move two steps backward. Nevertheless, there's religion involved.

[Demolishor]

How can you deny the progress humans have made? Think of all the technology we have these days. We can fly around the world, build enough weapons to destroy our planet and so on... The question is whether this technology has had a negative or positive effect on us and our planet.

Thanks to progress, we can cure diseases that would otherwise be fatal and we can feed more people than ever before.
However, it's true that our planet is suffering because of our progress in technology, (global warming, holes in the ozone layer, extinctions caused humans...) but the progress itself is not a bad thing. it's the way we use it's results.

so as a conclusion, we're better off than we used to be back in the stone age, but the planet's not too happy about it. However, with enough progress, we could get our hands on more "cleaner" or more green technology. (hydrogen powered cars, fusion power plants...)

So, to me progress is how advanced our technology is and how much do we know about the universe. (Science!)

[ReverendLostLamb]

This technology is a step backward.
The planet is overpupolated, and just think of the costs to try to cure or keep these people in hospitals.
We have 'cleaner' technology but it's too costly to be used on a large scale. Also, wind power destroys the nature and is therefore not clean.
To me progress is something else it appears.

[Myrmox]

For all the loveable tree-huggers out there: try living without electricity, heated housing, running water, regular meals, antibiotics etc for a decade and THEN I might listen to you when you say we haven´t made any progress. So just logoff, go find a cave and experience what the rest of us already know!

And BTW, atheism IS progress. How could dispersal of oppressive mass-illusions not be a good thing? And the overpopulation problem that is being adressed here is in a LARGE part a result of the religious leaders and their view on anti-conceptives so do not blaim technology, blaim those who prevents its implementation.

[Hullu]

I like Myrmox.