Introduction
Progress as understood by many enlightenment thinkers is defined as the idea that humanity or civilizations will change their social existence for the better. In other words, progress is the belief that human beings are generally heading in a desirable direction. Throughout society, man has undergone definite social change and this can be attributed to several reasons; central to this argument is the role that technology (especially communication and transport-related technologies) has played in making this possible. The paper postulates that there is a definite link between social progress and these technologies and a tangible way of measuring that progress will be proposed thereafter.
Whether technology can be meaningfully measured
Enlightenment thinkers put forward the notion that human beings possess an infinite potential to progress. They further argue that the unity of knowledge provides a great degree of reward and minimal suffering. Human beings respond very positively to new things and knowledge because it provides them with an opportunity to know more about their lives. While such notions may seem traditional, it is critical to acknowledge the fact that such assertions have been supported by a lot of events and incidences across history. (Blumenberg, 256) The major problem would be whether there are tangible methods for measuring these technological developments.
To effectively measure technological progress and hence render support to its relation to social progress, it is critical to understand that technology is inspired by the historical, political, social, and economic forces at play within a certain period. Anthropologists and sociologists have studied the concept of cultural and social evolution and a substantial number of them believe that the central propellant of development amongst human civilization is technology especially communication and transport technologies. For instance, Lewis Morgan argued that there are three major stages in social evolution and these include civilization, barbarism, and savagery. One can utilize this model to establish a model for measuring technological progress. This is largely because there is a visible transformation that such advancements caused about the way people lived their lives over the ages. Technological milestones strongly stand out in history and these can be associated with how social evolution has occurred with time. For example, during the savagery era the discovery of fire, the use of the bow, and the development of pottery can be seen as some of the indicators of advancement and these inventions can then be associated with humanity’s improvement. At that time, communication developments were associated with the discovery of fire and life become much easier or progressed because of these inventions. In the barbarian era, the domestication of animals, the development of agriculture, and the commencement of metalworking were critical in changing people’s lives for the better. (Wilston & Kingston, 52)
Through these inventions, transport and communication technologies emanated. For example, animal domestication led to hose riding and easy movement of people from point to point. Additionally, metalwork led to the invention of the wheel and hence efficiency in transport through steam turbines, trains, and the like. (Hellemans & Bunch, 103) In the age of civilization, learning the alphabet and learning to read and write were the most important inventions of that time. They paved the way for fast and convenient communication between various groups and this eventually translated to a closer-knit world. There are various inventions today (or in the recent past) that markedly affect the way people relate to one another through communication and transportation. For instance, when motor vehicles were invented, there was less time spent moving from place to place. When the internet was developed, the entire globe was literarily reduced to an interconnected network of people. This continually makes people grow and develop. (Pacey, 76) In other words, whenever a significant invention is made in human society, then this has usually translated into positive changes in human economic, social and political spheres. Ignoring the positive changes brought by these inventions based on the fatalities or problems that have arisen out of them would be like throwing out the baby with its bathwater. At the heart of every invention is the need to solve a particular problem. (Sampson, 35) This means that every time a technological milestone arises, then a major problem is solved and this makes people’s lives relatively easy. One can therefore measure technological progress effectively through such inventions as these milestones have eliminated rather than created more problems for humanity.
It should be noted that the inventions do not necessarily have to be tangible as they can be service-based (such as banking or the internet) but still lead to further development. The challenge with such a model of measuring technological progress is that it may be difficult trying to find out which inventions should be chosen and which ones should be ignored. The best way of handling this dilemma is by first understanding what development entails. After many arguments, disagreements, and compromises, several philosophers have agreed that there is more to development than just material wealth. Some other indicators are necessary as these other elements can contribute to people’s satisfaction with their lives. Given this stance and for purposes of this paper, it is necessary to think of social progress as a process by which actors and principals promote their spiritual, physical, and social well-being. (Wilson, 59) As a result, good measures of technological progress should deal with all these three aspects. Physical well-being is often denoted by people’s state of wealth and health. If people have lower infant mortalities, fewer health complications, and longer lives, then this is a step in the right direction and it can be treated as social progress. Therefore one can measure such economic perimeters through Lewis Morgan’s model which gives precedence to inventions. About the most important inventions, priorities should go to those that directly contributed to society’s state of the economy.
Social and spiritual well-being can be linked to technological developments as well but through different parameters. (Pursell & Kranzberg, 18)Here, stakeholders often look at society’s ability to include its people in decision-making processes, whether society’s talents are being used and whether people are living lives filled with optimism, dignity, and commitment to one another. To measure such technologies, it would be essential to study how they have contributed towards certain community principles. (Roberti, 3) For instance, equity, justice, diversity, and trustworthiness can be considered as reasonable measures as these are all intangible elements of economic and social progress. An example in the field of education is the development of internet filtering; this has gone a long way in promoting morality because it has reduced the harms associated with too much content accessibility for minors. In the field of science, precedence should be given to those technologies that promote greater cooperation and inclusion of the global community. A case in point was Russia’s launching of an outer space satellite. (World Bank, 13) The latter country first sought consensus from other stakeholders in the field of astronomy such that all humanity could realize some of the benefits that come with utilizing such a piece of technology. Other technology milestones such as weather-related predictions can also be considered monumental. This is because they have significantly contributed to humanity’s ability to deal with natural disasters such as earthquakes. (Pollard, 56)
Conclusion
The paper has shown that it may not be easy to measure technological development about social progress because a definition of social progress takes on physical, social, and spiritual facets; nonetheless, this can still be done. It is possible to achieve some economic and social goals of development while at the same time meeting the social and spiritual needs of humanity as well. In instances where there are several pathways to achieving certain goals through technology, precedence ought to be given to those technologies that can improve people’s economic concerns as well as their social and moral needs as well. This also means that the same approach should be used in measuring how technology has led to the development and progress of man throughout the ages. The indices that will be quite useful here include: technologies that have contributed to substantial economic advancement, technologies that have promoted greater equality and justice, and technologies that have enhanced the state of cooperation and interdependence between various individuals. It may be difficult to merge these different aspects but an effective link between technology and human progress can only be effectively ascertained by using both quantitative (economic measures) and qualitative measures of development.
References
Polard, Sidney. “The concept of progress.” History of Ideas Journal 28(2004): 56.
Blumenberg, Hanis. Legitimacy of the modern age. Cambridge: Cambridge University press, 1997.
Hellemans, Alexander & Bunch, Bryan. Timetables of technology. NY: Schuster and Simons, 1993.
Pursell, Caroll & Kranzberg, Melvin. Technology in western civilizations. Oxford: oxford University Press, 2004.
Sampson, Richard. Progress in the age of reason. Harvard: Harvard University Press, 2004.
Roberti, Mark. “Civil society declarations amount to abandonment of human progress.” Branford Magazine (2009):3.
Wilson, E. Consilience. Oxford: OUP, 2002.
The World Bank. “Technological development and progress.” Global economic prospects report 2008.
Pacey, Arnold. The maze of ingenuity. Cambridge: MIT press, 1994.
Williams, Trevor & Kingston, Thomas. A short history of technology. NY: Dover Press, 2006.