The concept of social progress briefly. Social Progress

Social Progress - it is a global historical process of the development of society from the lowest to the highest, from a primitive, wild state to a higher, civilized one. This process is due to the development of scientific and technical, social and political, moral and cultural achievements.

First theory of progress described by the famous French publicist Abbé Saint-Pierre in his book "Remarks on the Continuous Progress of the General Reason" in 1737. According to his theory, progress is laid down by God in every person and this process is inevitable, like natural phenomena. Further progress study as a social phenomenon continued and deepened.

progress criteria.

Progress criteria are the main parameters of its characteristics:

social;
economic;
spiritual;
scientific and technical.

social criterion - is the level of social development. It implies the level of people's freedoms, the quality of life, the degree of difference between rich and poor, the presence of a middle class, etc. The main engines of social development are revolutions and reforms. That is, a radical complete change in all layers of social life and its gradual change, transformation. Different political schools evaluate these engines differently. For example, everyone knows that Lenin preferred revolution.

Economic criterion - this is the growth of GDP, trade and banking, and other parameters of economic development. The economic criterion is the most important, as it affects the rest. It is difficult to think about creativity or spiritual self-education when there is nothing to eat.

Spiritual criterion - moral development is one of the most controversial, since different models of society are evaluated differently. For example, unlike European countries, Arab countries do not consider tolerance towards sexual minorities a spiritual progress, and even vice versa - a regression. However, there are generally accepted parameters by which one can judge spiritual progress. For example, the condemnation of murder and violence is characteristic of all modern states.

Scientific and technical criterion - it is the presence of new products, scientific discoveries, inventions, advanced technologies, in short - innovations. Most often, progress means this criterion in the first place.

alternative theories.

Concept of progress has been criticized since the 19th century. A number of philosophers and historians deny progress as a social phenomenon completely. J. Vico considers the history of society as a cyclical development with ups and downs. A. Toynbee cites as an example the history of various civilizations, each of which has phases of emergence, growth, decline and decay (Maya, Roman Empire, etc.).

In my opinion, these disputes are connected with a different understanding of the definitions of progress as such, as well as with a different understanding of its social significance.

However, without social progress, we would not have society in its modern form with its achievements and mores.

This is a peculiar type of development, in the process of which a transition is made to more complex, higher, perfect structures. This concept was not left alone by modern society, therefore, in the article we will consider the main criteria for social progress.

Social progress is...

Social progress is understood as the direction of development of society, which is characterized by irreversible changes taking place in all spheres of human life. As a result, society turns into a more perfect substance.

Progress has two main features. Firstly, this concept is relative, since it cannot be applied to such areas as art. Secondly, this process is very contradictory: what is favorable for one area of activity may adversely affect another. For example, the development of industry has a negative impact on the ecology of the environment.

In sociology, the criteria for social progress are considered to be such concepts:

Development of the human mind.
Improvement of morality.
Increasing the degree of freedom of the individual.
Scientific and technical progress.
Development of production.

Processes of social dynamics

A. Todd, in his book on theories of social progress, noted that this concept is so human that everyone thinks it in his own way. And yet there are four main ways of development of society. It is better to consider these criteria of social progress in the table.

subjectivity factor

Some philosophers and sociologists believe that the highest criterion of social progress is not a measure of an objective nature. They insist that the concept of progress has purely subjective characteristics, because its study directly depends on the criterion that the scientist is going to investigate. And he chooses this criterion according to his own scale of values based on his views, sympathies, ideals.

By choosing one criterion, one can speak of significant progress, but it is worth choosing some other - and the decline of mankind is obvious.

But if you look, for example, at the criteria of social progress from the point of view of materialism, it becomes clear that there is a certain pattern in society that can be studied from a scientific point of view.

patterns

Due to nature-conditioned material production, the bulk of people strive for progress. It is in material production that one should look for the general criterion of social progress. It is quite simple to give an example: throughout the entire existence of mankind, various methods of production have developed and changed. This makes it possible to reveal patterns, considering the whole history as a natural-historical process.

Development of productive forces

Some researchers believe that the highest criterion of social progress is the process of development of productive forces. It lies in the constant change and improvement of technologies that provide a constant increase in productivity. In turn, the improvement of the means of labor leads to the improvement of the labor force. New equipment requires a person to develop new skills, and where there is progress in technology, science is also improved. At the same time, the human impact on the environment increases, plus, the amount of surplus product increases and, as a result, the nature of consumption, lifestyle, way of life and culture of society inevitably change. This is the highest criterion of social progress.

A similar dialectic can be traced in the segment of the spiritual development of mankind. Each social relation gives rise to its own cultural form. Together with it, its own art and ideology arises, which cannot be subjected to arbitrary replacement. Another supreme criterion of social progress is the development of man himself. It is possible to talk about progress only when the society is not in a state of stagnation - "stagnant water". Thus, the basis and criteria for social progress are the mode of production and the social order determined by it.

Constituent elements

From the point of view of materialism, social progress consists of four main components:

The productive forces of society and the level of their development.
Production relations that have developed on the basis of productive forces functioning in society.
The social structure that determines the political structure of the state.
The level of personality development.

It is worth noting that none of the signs can be an unconditional separate criterion of social progress. Social progress is the unity and development of all. Unfortunately, these areas can be scientifically substantiated only from the point of view of materialism, but this does not mean at all that such an integrative criterion as humanization or morality does not participate in progress.

Pyramid of progressive characteristics

To understand the importance and complexity of the process of social dynamics, it is worth explaining at least a few criteria for social progress. In a table, such information is perceived better.

In addition to these criteria, each of the thinkers of the past defended his point of view, considering the process of social progress. So, J. Condorcet said that the development of the human mind is important for society. Only enlightenment and the triumph of thought are capable of advancing social and social progress. insisted that progress is possible only where there is good legislation. If the law protects human rights, then the individual, feeling safe, is able to improve and improve the world around him. Saint-Simon and Owen noted that in a progressive society there should be no exploitation of one person by another, and Karl Marx zealously defended his idea of the development of production.

Social development is a complex and multifaceted process that can be viewed from different points of view. Scientists say that in recent years, studies have shifted to the humanitarian side. But it is most correct to consider progress in the context of the production of goods and their distribution among social groups, because the highest criterion of social progress is precisely the symbiosis of these two concepts.

Are you already familiar with the concept of social dynamics? Society does not stand still, constantly changing the direction of its development. Is society really increasing the pace of its development, what is its direction? How to answer it correctly, we will analyze in task 25 after the topic.

"Progress is a movement in a circle, but faster and faster"

So thought the American writer Leonard Levinson.

To begin with, remember that we already know the concept and it and also worked out the topic

Recall that one of the signs is development, movement. The society is constantly in the process of change, the institutions it needs are developing, complicating Unclaimed institutions are dying off. We have already traced the development of the Institute

Let's look at other important institutions - we will present their development and social demand in them in the form of a table:

Social dynamics is expressed in various directions of development of society.

Progress- the progressive development of society, expressed in the complication of the social structure.

Regression– degradation of the social structure and social relations (reverse PROGRESS term, its antonym).

The concepts of PROGRESS and REGRESS are very conditional; what is typical for the development of one society cannot be acceptable for another. Recall that in ancient Sparta, weak newborn boys were simply thrown off a cliff, because they could not become warriors. Today this custom looks barbaric to us.

Evolution- the gradual development of society (reverse REVOLUTION term, its antonym). One of its forms is reform- a change emanating from and changing relations in one of the areas (for example, the agrarian reform of P.A. Stolypin). REVOLUTION in the sense comes from

Social dynamics is the subject of study of one of the sciences about SOCIETY - social. There are two main approaches to the study of society.

According to Marx, every society must go through all stages of development and come to (linearity of development). The civilizational approach provides for the alternative ways of each, the parallel existence of societies with different levels of development, which is more in line with modern realities. It is this approach that is most in demand in the context of USE assignments.

Let's try to compare the three types of companies in terms of various important parameters in the form of a table:

And we conclude that in the historical development there are three main types of society:

Traditional society - historical type of civilization based on both the predominance and

industrial society - a historical type of civilization based on the introduction of the liquidation of the monarchical political system of the Middle Ages.

Post-industrial (information) society - a modern type of civilization based on domination (computers in production, Result of the 20th century.

Thus, today we have worked on the following important topics from

The concept of social progress;
Multivariance of social development (types of societies).

And now WORKSHOP! REINFORCING THE KNOWLEDGE GAINED TODAY!

We carry out

exercise 25. What is the meaning of social scientists in the concept of "criterion of progress"? Drawing on the knowledge of the social science course, make two sentences: one sentence revealing the features of progress, and one sentence containing information about the criteria (s) for determining progress.

To begin with, do not make the most common mistake associated with this task. We are required not two sentences, but a CONCEPT and 2 SENTENCES (three in total!). So, we remembered the concept of progress - the progressive development of society, its movement forward. Let's choose a synonym for the word criterion - measure, yardstick. Respectively:
"The criterion of progress" is a measure by which the degree of development of a society is judged.

1. A feature of progress is its inconsistency, all criteria for progress are subjective.

And, remember that although the degree of development of society can be measured in different ways (there are many approaches - the level of development of science, technology and technology, the degree of democracy, a generally accepted single criterion - the humanity of society). So:

2. The universal criterion for determining progress is the degree of humaneness of society, the ability to provide maximum conditions for the development of each person.

So here's what our answer looks like:

25. "The criterion of progress" is a measure by which the degree of development of a society is judged.

A feature of progress is its inconsistency, all criteria of progress are subjective.
The universal criterion for determining progress is the degree of humanity of society, the ability to provide the maximum conditions for the development of each person.

Social progress is considered in the school course in many ways, it becomes possible to see the inconsistency of the process. Society develops unevenly, changes positions, like a person. It is important to choose the path that will lead to better living conditions and the preservation of the planet.

The problem of the progressive movement

Since ancient times, scientists have tried to determine the path of development of societies. Some found similarities with nature: the seasons. Others have identified cycles in the form of ups and downs. The cycle of events did not allow giving precise instructions on how and where to move the peoples. A scientific problem has arisen. The main directions are laid in the understanding two terms :

Progress;
Regression.

The thinker and poet of ancient Greece, Hesiod, divided the history of mankind into 5 eras :

Gold;
Silver;
Copper;
Bronze;
Iron.

Rising up from century to century, a person should have become better, but history has proven otherwise. The scientist's theory failed. The Iron Age, in which the scientist himself lived, did not become an impetus for the development of morality. Democritus divided history into three groups :

Past;
The present;
Future.

The transition from one period to another should show growth and improvement, but this approach has not become true.

Contradictions of scientific theories

Hesiod reasoned on the basis that humanity is developing, drawing the lessons of the past. The inconsistency of the social process refuted his reasoning. In the last century, attitudes of high morality were to be formed among people. Hesiod noted the decay of moral values, people began to preach evil, violence, war. The scientist put forward the idea of the regressive development of history. Man, in his opinion, cannot change the course of history, he is a pawn and does not play a role in the tragedy of the planet.

Progress became the basis of the theory of the French philosopher A. R. Turgot. He proposed to consider history as a constant movement forward. Proved by offering the properties of the human mind. A person constantly achieves success, consciously improves his life, the conditions of existence. Supporters of the progressive path of development:

J. A. Condorcet;
G. Hegel.

Supported their faith and Karl Marx. He believed that humanity penetrates into nature and, studying its possibilities, improves itself.

Presenting history in the form of a line rising forward will not work. It will be a curve or a broken line: ups and downs, ups and downs.

Criteria for the progress of social development

Criteria are the basis, the circumstances that lead to the development or stabilization of certain processes. The criteria for social progress have gone through different approaches.

The table helps to understand the views on the development trends of the society of scientists from different eras:

*Scientists*	*Progress Criteria*
A. Condorcet	The human mind develops, changing society itself. The manifestations of his mind in various spheres enable humanity to move forward.
Utopians	Progress is built on the brotherhood of man. The team acquires the goal of joint movement towards the creation of better conditions for coexistence.
F. Schelling	A person gradually strives to create the legal foundations for the structure of society.
G. Hegel	Progress is built on human awareness of freedom.
Modern approaches of philosophers	Criteria types: The development of productive forces of a different nature: within society, within a person. Humanity: the quality of the individual is perceived more and more correctly, society and every person strive for it, it is the engine of progress.

Examples of progressive development

Examples of moving forward include the following public phenomena and processes :

the economic growth;
discovery of new scientific theories;
development and modernization of technical means;
discovery of new types of energy: nuclear, atomic;
the growth of cities that improve human living conditions.

Examples of progress are the development of medicine, the increase in the types and capacities of means of communication between people, the disappearance of such concepts as slavery.

Regression examples

Society is moving along the path of regression, what phenomena do scientists attribute to backward movement:

Problems of the ecological plan: damage to nature, environmental pollution, the death of the Aral Sea.
Improving the types of weapons that lead to the mass destruction of mankind.
The creation and distribution of atomic weapons around the planet, leading to the death of a huge number of people.
An increase in the number of industrial accidents that are dangerous for people located on the territory of their location (nuclear reactors, nuclear power plants).
Air pollution in large settlements.

The law that defines the signs of regression has not been established by scientists. Every society develops in its own way. Laws adopted in some states are unacceptable to others. The reason is the individuality of one person and entire nations. The determining force in the movement of history is a person, and it is difficult to fit him into a framework, to give a definite plan according to which he goes in life.

The most difficult problem in the theory of progress is the question of the main objective criteria. Indeed, is there an accurate measure of the level of social progress? What are the indicators that summarize the main source of social progress? In determining the basic criterion of social progress, the interests of different classes collide. Each social class strives to substantiate such a criterion that would meet the interests of this class.

For example, some modern foreign philosophers and sociologists oppose the objective nature of the criterion of social progress. They seek to prove that the solution of the question of progress in the history of society is subjective, since it depends on the choice of the criterion of social progress. And the choice of this criterion is determined by the scale of values chosen by the one who judges progress. Moreover, he does this in accordance with personal views, sympathies, ideals, etc. With one criterion one can recognize the existence of progress in history, with another one can deny it. All points of view are equal here, since they are all equally subjective.

Thus, A. D. Todd, in The Theories of Social Progress, writes: "Progress is a human concept. So human that everyone thinks of it in their own way." The French Philosophical Dictionary, edited by A. Lalande, states that progress "is a relative concept but the essence, since it depends on what scale of values the one who speaks about progress adheres to."

Materialism rejects the subjectivist and relativistic position of philosophers and sociologists about social progress. The study shows that progress in society is an objective regularity accessible to strictly scientific research. Therefore, the main criterion of social progress must be objective. In accordance with it, it is the productive forces that are the determining cause of the progressive development of the entire history of mankind and therefore serve as an objective indicator of the level of resolution of contradictions between society and nature.

Thus, the main objective criterion of social progress is the development of the productive forces. It is this that forms the basis of unity and connection in world history, represents that continuous line of ascent that runs through all social processes. In the final analysis, all the activity of people is focused in the change of productive forces, in whatever sphere of the social organism it may be carried out. This criterion is of a general historical (general sociological) nature and applies to all social formations that have existed in history. It makes it possible to determine for each formation its historical place in the progressive movement of mankind.

As the study shows, the question of the main objective criterion of social progress comes down to finding out what is the beginning of the progressive development of society, or what element of the social organism changes first? Indeed, the objective criteria by which one can determine whether a given phenomenon is progressive or reactionary and to what extent depend on the level and nature of the development of the productive forces. Whatever the productive forces are, such, in the final analysis, is the whole of society. It must also be emphasized that the socio-economic formations "arranged themselves" in history precisely in accordance with the level and nature of the development of the productive forces.

Consequently, the social system (socio-economic system, politics, ideology, morality, etc.), which stimulates the development of productive forces to the greatest extent, creates the greatest scope for them, is the most progressive. Therefore, everything that is in industrial relations, in the content of ideas, views, theories, moral norms, etc. contributes to the further development of productive forces, works on the idea of progress. On the other hand, everything that hinders this development is associated with regression. Another thing is that there is no automatic dependency here.

Progress in the field of production does not always have a direct effect on progress in spiritual life, for example, in art or morality. The connection between the development of various phenomena of the spiritual life of society, on the one hand, and the needs for the development of productive forces, on the other, is mediated by the diversity and complexity of social relations, and it is sometimes very difficult to establish this connection. There are many facts in the history of exploitative formations when the progress of the productive forces was ensured by cruel violent methods associated with the violation of the elementary norms of humanity. According to K. Marx, this kind of progress was likened to "a disgusting pagan idol who did not want to drink nectar except from the skulls of the slain."

Modern foreign sociologists quite often absolutize the role of technology, especially computers, in the development of society and consider it the main criterion of their own progress. However, this is not true. Technology, computers, and the means of production in general are just one of the elements of the productive forces. Their other element is people, direct producers of material and spiritual goods. Moreover, the working masses are the main element in the composition of the productive forces of society. Therefore, the most important indicator of the progressiveness of the socio-economic system is the opportunities that it creates for the all-round development of the abilities and creative activity of the working people, the satisfaction of their material and spiritual needs.

Therefore, in determining the superiority of one social system or another, it is necessary to compare, first of all, the possibilities that it provides for the development of the productive forces as a whole. These opportunities are usually realized in a higher rate of development of social production, in the widespread dissemination of culture among the masses of the working people, in every possible way involving them in managing the affairs of society, and so on.

Despite the complexity of social development, its main line is progressive movement, and the process of ascent from the lowest to the highest not only continues steadily, but accelerates from formation to formation. This can be seen already from the very duration of the existence of formations: the primitive communal system is 40–50 thousand years, and the entire written history is a little over 5 thousand years. Of these: slavery - 3-3.5 thousand years; feudalism - 1.5 thousand years; capitalism - several centuries; socialism for several decades.

The most general indicator of the development of the productive forces, or an objective criterion of social progress, is the growth rate of labor productivity. In itself, the productivity of labor reflects only the level of development of the productive forces of society. And the growth rate of labor productivity also reflects the nature of the productive forces, i.e. the specifics of the relationship between direct producers and the means of production.

Any new socio-economic formation has a higher rate of growth in labor productivity compared to the previous one. For example, labor productivity under capitalism develops 20-40 thousand times faster than under the primitive communal system, 100-150 times faster than in a slave-owning society, 50-60 times faster than in the era of feudalism.

At the same time, it must also be borne in mind that here one cannot confine oneself to a simple comparison of the levels of development of production achieved at a given moment by countries with different social systems. Indeed, many countries in which a democratic system is being established have had or are having to overcome the technical and economic backwardness inherited from the past, as well as difficulties caused by the resistance of reactionary forces, imposed wars, etc. That is why it takes a certain time for them to be able to catch up with countries that have industrialized and computerized much earlier. After all, progress usually appears as the cumulative result of the upward development of all aspects of social life. It is measured by a whole system of criteria, each of which has its place and purpose in determining the level of progressive development of society. In this system there is a hierarchy, subordination. There are basic and non-basic criteria, defining and conditional.

In the hierarchy of criteria for social progress, the development of productive forces is of decisive importance. Other criteria operating in the sphere of morality, science, philosophy, etc., only reflect the phenomena that arise on the basis of a certain level and nature of the development of productive forces. For example, the criterion of moral progress is the growth of individual freedom, the criterion of progress in science can be the process of turning science into a direct productive force, the criterion of progress in philosophy is the formation of a democratic worldview, etc.

Social progress is a multifaceted phenomenon. It includes progressive development in all spheres of the social organism. The stage of progressively developing human history as a whole corresponds to a certain socio-economic formation. While maintaining the qualitative state, the formation, like a living, developing organism, goes through the stages of origin, development and decay. The division between the ascending and descending stages of formation is formed by a violation of the correspondence between the sides of social production and its influence on the entire system of social relations.

However, historical development is ongoing. In the depths of the old socio-economic formation, the prerequisites for another, higher formation are born (in the form of new productive forces, changes in the socio-economic structure, etc.). The full disclosure of these premises is hindered by the old social order. A leap in the progressive movement of society means a revolutionary transition to a new, higher socio-economic formation.

Each new formation is born, formed and replaces the old one only on the "shoulders" of the latter, on the basis of its achievements. K. Marx wrote: "Not a single social formation will perish before all the productive forces have developed, for which it gives enough space, and new higher production relations never appear before the material conditions for their existence in the bowels of the oldest society mature" . As long as a given formation develops in an ascending line, everything that helps to strengthen it is progressive. When a formation enters a period of stagnation and decay, then what is progressive is that which breaks its foundations, and all kinds of attempts to slow down this process are regressive.

The progressive nature of social development cannot be understood in a simplistic way. The history of human society is complex and contradictory. Social progress is its general line, its general orientation. And within the framework of historical progress, there were eras of restoration, and tragic catastrophes, sometimes leading to the death of entire civilizations, and the deepest delusions of human thought.

Marx K., Engels F. Op. T. 23. S. 731. Note.
Marx K., Engels F. Op. T. 13. S. 7.