The longer humanity exists, the more it develops technologically; moreover, in recent years, technological progress is gaining increasing speed. This process, undoubtedly, has both positive and negative sides, and Condorcet wrote about the role of progress in human life in the 19th century. His view on technological development seems realistic and even partially predicts the current state of things. Condorcet describes progress as a constant change in various phenomena, objects, and processes, leading to an improvement in the quality of life. This can be noted in technical, cultural, educational, and other fields, which undeniably simplifies human life and helps people perform vital actions without paying attention to trifles. Unfortunately, progress can also lead to laziness and even societal degradation. In any case, one of the important goals of progress is to achieve human perfection. With it, the mind develops with incredible strength and allows people to make tremendous discoveries and perform complex actions.
However, technological progress is not always as positive as it seems. A striking example of its negative influence is the conflict between Amazon and Hachette. Even though due to technological progress people can now buy electronic books, this can negatively affect the economic condition of those who write them. Different approaches to marketing and selling books can harm writers and publishers. They may not receive enough attention and earnings and, therefore, will not be able to continue to produce new books. Nevertheless, literature is one of the necessary factors for the development of people. Thus, even despite the advantages of technological progress, humanity must always take into account its possible consequences, which will make this development a basis for social prosperity.