Social Progress

Social progress - this concept is quite extensive. It reflects not only the change in the movement of social being in public space and time. In the notion of "social progress," neither an assessment of the quality of development nor its direction is recorded. The phenomenon is the result of social development, which involves an increase in technological and scientific knowledge, as well as an increase in complex social organization and productivity. Thus, social progress and its criteria reflect the establishment of the most perfect forms of social life. It should be said at the same time that the improvement of public life has a direct impact on the development of the individual. In this regard, social progress in recent years increasingly relies on the humanistic concept of development of society, the main purpose of which is welfare, self-actualization of man.

All of the above is a reflection of the understanding of the definition itself. At the same time, the question of the existence of social progress in public life is viewed from two opposite points. The first concept recognizes the existence of an idea, and the second, accordingly, does not recognize it.

To the theories that recognize social progress, its idea and main goals, it is first of all to attribute the concept of Parsons (American sociologist) and the concept of Condorcet (the French philosopher-sociologist).

The latter in his works spoke about the existence of the laws of development in the historical plane. Condorcet believed that the mind has the ability to change the world on a rational basis. According to the philosopher, social progress primarily depends on increasing scientific knowledge and universal education.

This concept had a significant impact on Comte's views. This French sociologist formulated a law on the three stages of social progress in human development, based on which he placed intellectual progress.

The teachings of Comte and Condorcet contributed to the fact that the study of the evolution of society has become a priority in the study of social life.

By the twentieth century, the concept formed the basis for the ideas of neo-evolutionists. Parsons became the representative of this direction. In his opinion, the main criterion of social progress is the strengthening of the ability to adapt the whole society as a whole.

The concept of social evolution is supported by various theories of the postindustrial and industrial society. As criteria for progress in them, such factors as the degree of modernization, the level of technological development, the transformation of science into a social productive force are used.

At the end of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th, experts note a certain triumph of the ideas of social evolution. In the social sphere, everything looks very optimistic, the belief is that the successes in the technological and scientific spheres will inevitably lead to an improvement in the well-being of people, as well as to raising the level of public life, as a result of which mankind will be free from poverty, ignorance and injustice.

There are theories that reject progress. As a methodological basis for the development of these theories is the assertion of a multi-line concept in development. This concept justifies the probabilistic and variational nature of the process, while denying social progress and social laws.

One of the first with the concept of negation was Nietzsche. He criticized humanism and rationalism. In his opinion, any historical truth is only an illusion, and social knowledge does not and can not have objectivity.