What Is Progress

“Historian Schiavone mixes philosophy, politics, and anthropology in this stimulating inquiry into the ‘paradigm of progress.’” —Publishers Weekly

Today, many believe that progress is a word to be avoided, a relic from a past, the dangerous product of an era of intellectual naivety that would be best forgotten. Yet, the idea of progress is rooted in a human impulse that is both profound and essential, a way of interpreting history without which our ability to plan the future—and our very identity—would be at stake.

Written just before the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic—which is now putting its argument to the hardest of tests—this lucid essay explores how science and technology have been, and can still be, a powerful engine for human advancement.