History of the Idea of Progress
History of the Idea of Progress

Author: Robert Nisbet

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-07-12

Total Pages: 594

ISBN-13: 1351515462

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The idea of progress from the Enlightenment to postmodernism is still very much with us. In intellectual discourse, journals, popular magazines, and radio and talk shows, the debate between those who are "progressivists" and those who are "declinists" is as spirited as it was in the late seventeenth century. In History of the Idea of Progress, Robert Nisbet traces the idea of progress from its origins in Greek, Roman, and medieval civilizations to modern times. It is a masterful frame of reference for understanding the present world. Nisbet asserts there are two fundamental building blocks necessary to Western doctrines of human advancement: the idea of growth, and the idea of necessity. He sees Christianity as a key element in both secular and spiritual evolution, for it conveys all the ingredients of the modern idea of progress: the advancement of the human race in time, a single time frame for all the peoples and epochs of the past and present, the conception of time as linear, and the envisagement of the future as having a Utopian end. In his new introduction, Nisbet shows why the idea of progress remains of critical importance to studies of social evolution and natural history. He provides a contemporary basis for many disciplines, including sociology, economics, philosophy, religion, politics, and science. History of the Idea of Progress continues to be a major resource for scholars in all these areas.

The End of Progress
The End of Progress

Author: Amy Allen

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2016-01-12

Total Pages: 305

ISBN-13: 0231540639

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While post- and decolonial theorists have thoroughly debunked the idea of historical progress as a Eurocentric, imperialist, and neocolonialist fallacy, many of the most prominent contemporary thinkers associated with the Frankfurt School—Jürgen Habermas, Axel Honneth, and Rainer Forst—have defended ideas of progress, development, and modernity and have even made such ideas central to their normative claims. Can the Frankfurt School's goal of radical social change survive this critique? And what would a decolonized critical theory look like? Amy Allen fractures critical theory from within by dispensing with its progressive reading of history while retaining its notion of progress as a political imperative, so eloquently defended by Adorno. Critical theory, according to Allen, is the best resource we have for achieving emancipatory social goals. In reimagining a decolonized critical theory after the end of progress, she rescues it from oblivion and gives it a future.

The Forces of Progress
The Forces of Progress

Author: Kobus Van Der Zel

Publisher: Lulu.com

Published: 2011-09-16

Total Pages: 218

ISBN-13: 1430307099

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A journey in search of the primary forces that either fuel or destroy progress in companies today. Scientists changed our world by proving that the complex world of physics is ruled by only a few forces which obey simple Laws. This allowed a quantum leap in our progress. In this business novel an Eastern woman teams up with a Western turnaround guy to master the forces that are limiting their progress in business. They set their aim as high as the imagination will allow: *For their traditional products company to achieve a Viable Vision - to turn its sales into its net profits in 4 years, and *To encourage their people to escape from the rat race by becoming millionaires - free to pursue their real purpose in life. They use ancient Laws and wisdoms to defeat the forces that stand in their way. Is it possible that a traditional business is also ruled by a few distinct forces - which could be mastered to allow for a quantum leap in the performance of the business and its people?

What Is Progress
What Is Progress

Author: Aldo Schiavone

Publisher: Europa Editions

Published: 2021-07-13

Total Pages: 79

ISBN-13: 1609456793

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“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.

The Crisis of Progress
The Crisis of Progress

Author: John C. Caiazza

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-07-05

Total Pages: 174

ISBN-13: 1351484273

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This book is about the concept of progress, its separate varieties, its current rejection, and how it may be reconsidered from a philosophical and scientific basis. John C. Caiazza's main emphasis is on how science is understood as it has a direct impact on social values as expressed by prominent philosophers. He argues that progress is at a standstill, which presents a crisis for Western civilization.Caiazza presents historical examples, both of scientific inquiry and social and cultural themes, to examine the subject of progress. Beginning with the Whig model and progressive political values exemplified by Bacon and Dewey, he also examines other variations, the Enlightenment, cosmopolitanism, and totalitarianism. Technology, argues Caiazza, also has a stultifying effect on Western culture and to understand the idea of progress, we must take a philosophic rather than a scientific point of view. Modern cosmology has inevitable humanistic and theological implications, and major contemporary philosophers reject social science in favour of ancient concepts of virtue and ethics.In the end, Caiazza writes that time is an agent, not a neutral plain on which scientific and historical events occur. We can expect technology to keep us in stasis or become aware of the possibility of transcendence. This book will be of interest for students of scientific history and philosophy.

Learning as Transformation
Learning as Transformation

Author: Jack Mezirow

Publisher: Jossey-Bass

Published: 2000-10-05

Total Pages: 424

ISBN-13:

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"Provocative and illuminating, this book is a must read for adult educators seeking to understand and facilitate transformational learning. It showcases a stellar group of authors who not only engage each other and the reader in constructive discourse, but who also model the heart of the transformational learning process." --Sharan B. Merriam, Department of Adult Education, University of Georgia This volume continues the landmark work begun by Jack Mezirow over twenty years ago--revealing the impact of transformative learning on the theory and practice of adult education. Top scholars and practitioners review the core principles of transformation theory, analyze the process of transformative learning, describe different types of learning and learners, suggest key conditions for socially responsible learning, explore group and organizational learning, and present revelations from the latest research. They also share real-world examples drawn from their own experiences and assess the evolution of transformative learning in practice and philosophy. Learning as Transformation presents an intimate portrait of a powerful learning concept and invites educators, researchers, and scholars to consider the implications of transformative learning in their own professional work.

Open
Open

Author: Johan Norberg

Publisher: Atlantic Books

Published: 2020-09-03

Total Pages: 431

ISBN-13: 1786497174

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AN ECONOMIST BOOK OF THE YEAR Humanity's embrace of openness is the key to our success. The freedom to explore and exchange - whether it's goods, ideas or people - has led to stunning achievements in science, technology and culture. As a result, we live at a time of unprecedented wealth and opportunity. So why are we so intent on ruining it? From Stone Age hunter-gatherers to contemporary Chinese-American relations, Open explores how across time and cultures, we have struggled with a constant tension between our yearning for co-operation and our profound need for belonging. Providing a bold new framework for understanding human history, bestselling author and thinker Johan Norberg examines why we're often uncomfortable with openness - but also why it is essential for progress. Part sweeping history and part polemic, this urgent book makes a compelling case for why an open world with an open economy is worth fighting for more than ever.