Précis

This paper challenges both simplistic optimism and categorical rejection of the concept of progress. It argues that while historical and technological advancements – such as antibiotics or digital communication – are undeniable, they do not automatically equate to moral or social progress. Progress is not a linear or teleological unfolding of pre-defined goals but a normatively charged, processual concept rooted in problem-solving and experiential learning. The paper thus proposes a materialist and pragmatic understanding of social change, where forms of life evolve through crisis-driven responses to second-order problems – failures not just in addressing immediate needs, but in the systems meant to solve them. Progress, then, is a qualitative transformation that reflects not just adaptation, but learning how to learn – an accumulative, reflexive process that may or may not occur. Regression, by contrast, marks blocked or reversed learning, a breakdown in such problem-solving capacity. Ultimately, the paper offers a pluralist and non-essentialist theory of progress, preserving its critical and normative potential while rejecting deterministic or ethnocentric narratives. The approach repositions progress as a dynamic, reflective category necessary for critical social theory

• Sozialphilosophie

  R Jaeggi, Robin Celikates•Sozialphilosophie•2017

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• Inside Ethics

  Alice Crary•Inside Ethics•2016

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