On Our "Virtual Route 66" : A Brief History of Progress
Courtesy: https://open.substack.com/pub/nouvelledroite/p/a-brief-history-of-progress?r=1y3fw&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false Alain de Benoist traces the historical development and evolution of the idea of progress, which emerged around 1680 and became a central tenet of Western civilization. Benoist explains how progress, defined as a cumulative process where each new stage is considered superior to previous ones, originated from Christian concepts but was secularized during the Scientific Revolution. The theory of progress rests on three key ideas: a linear conception of time oriented toward the future, the fundamental unity of humanity evolving together, and humanity's ability to master and transform nature. The essay shows how this ideology was strengthened by scientific advancement, bourgeois economics, and industrialization, reaching its peak in the 19th century when it was used to justify colonialism and Western superiority. However, by t...
