What Is Progress
Published on 13. July 2021
128 pages
978-1-60945-679-5 (ISBN)
Description
"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.
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.
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Persons
Aldo Schiavone is one of Italy's most renowned historians, whose works have been translated into numerous languages. He has taught Roman Law at the University of Florence and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His previous books include Spartacus (2013) and Pontius Pilate (2017).
Content
- Intro
- WHAT IS PROGRESS
- THE UNEXPECTED . . .
- I. THE ANGEL'S GAZE
- II. WHERE THE ARROW GOES
- III. THE FUTURE FOUND AGAIN
- VIRUS AND IDEAS A SORT OF AFTERWORD
- NOTES
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
