Progress Trap Of Progress

In the book, A Short History of Progress, Ronald Wright addresses the question of progress and whether it is good or bad. He introduces the notion of a progress trap which is the idea that human progress will lead to the end of our species and maybe even the world. Wright suggests that progress is dangerous and believes that there is such a thing as “too much progress” (Wright 2004: 5). He argues that our modern dilemma is as old as civilization; in fact, it begins with the establishment of civilization. Wright claims that civilization is an experiment that we have not tried nor managed to control. He also provides us with some solutions for our dilemma. For him, we need to learn from our past. Clearly, we have not learned anything from our …show more content…
A progress trap is the idea that progress will eventually lead to the end of a society, if they continue the way they currently are. Furthermore, he takes a look at the perfection of hunting which he considers to be the first progress trap (Wright 2004). We escaped that trap with the invention of farming which led to the experiment of civilization (Wright 2004). Wright also tries to consider if civilization itself could be a progress trap. Lastly, he concludes this chapter by explaining that our food and the methods that we use to produce it have left us vulnerable.
In chapter three, Fools’ Paradise, Wright examines the rise and the fall of two traps that emerged as a result of progress: Easter Island and the Sumerian civilization. These two civilizations became a trap that these people could not avoid nor escape from. One of the reasons for their collapse was that they exploited their natural recourses until they had nothing left to exploit. Another reason was that the ruling class continued to uphold their beliefs and practices without recognizing the damage that they were causing. Their mistakes ultimately led to their own …show more content…
Wright argues that progress is dangerous and that we should avoid falling into the trap of overdoing progress. He makes it clear that technological progress is at the core of human progress. This would mean that we as a society would have to scale back on technological progress. However, with technology being a fundamental part of a modern human’s existence, is it possible for us to survive with little to no technology? I do agree with both Wright and Orr about technology: technological progress is dangerous and it is nearly impossible for us to manage the planet using technology. The answers to our problems do not lie within technology or technological progress. But everything we do involves technology from education, entertainment, transportation, and even medicine. Our economies are driven by technological innovation. Thus, is it feasible to suggest that we need to cut back on technological