A Short History of Progress

Within Ronald Wright’s novel, A Short History of Progress, the concept of a “progress trap” is explored. Described by Wright, a “progress trap” is a situation in which humans establish a dependence upon new technology or techniques that have been integrated into societal structures to help “improve” human living conditions. This newly developed technology or knowledge can become paramount in society and critical to the survival of the transformed civilization. At this point, a loop of “progress trap” development can begin to occur. Trapped by the consequences of their own development, humans will desperately look for new ways to counteract factors which stand in the way of either further development, or the viability of the altered society. An example of a factor that would lead to this situation would be full utilization of a resource that was not exploited previously by humans, such as what is being seen in modern oil and gas extraction. As a result, society will try to develop a new technological “saving grace” to ensure the survival of constantly progressing society. Agriculture is described as a “progress trap” because agronomic advances have lessened the human reliance on the provisions of the natural environment, and to instead…

Humans are one of the most violent and selfish species on Earth. In the book A Short History of Progress, written by Ronald Wright, it explains how the past’s consequences still affect people today. If humans do not change the way they act soon, they will live with the consequences and so will the future generations. Violence and greed are some of the things that have brought empires down and it can soon happen today, Wright believes that humans are the “last ship sailing.” Through time humans…

revolution of technology, change of society structure, lots of progress has been made, and with the progress we have been through ups and downs in the history, and thanks to that we gets to live in a considerable “better life” compare to few centuries ago. However, the progress we have made are not always beneficial. Obsessed about making progress, humanity may just end up making way too much progress, and creates a problem that cannot be solved by either humanity or the nature itself. From…

When a person eats too much, is it true that they become sick or nauseous? Likewise is not also true that when a person eats too little they starve? Thus is the the relationship between disobedience in the human nature and societal progress. Disobedience at the right amount and the right time is necessary to shed the dead skin of a stagnant and dysfunctional society, however without times of peace, there is no rest and therefore no progress. While connotation of disobedience seems…

The short stories of Nathaniel Hawthorne are examples of the literary movement of Romanticism and its characteristics which are evidenced in this author’s works. These characteristics are sometimes found in abundant quantities or limited amounts in each of his short stories. However, no matter what short story Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote, the Age of Romanticism and its defining characteristics are found in each of his selections. So, too, do each of the author’s short stories present a unique…

on the history and add more prominent men/women of history from all races, sexes, and creeds to represent many viewpoints of that era. let us add to the history, not subtract. I have heard citizens speak from all backgrounds who were directly affected by the atrocities that these symbols represent; who are able to transcend past feeling oppressed by these objects just as much as those who feel oppressed, upset, angry, and any other negative emotion. That being said, we have every right as…

Charles Darwin in his The Descent of Man and Karl Marx in his The Communist Manifesto suggest similar understandings of progress. For Darwin, progress manifests itself in natural selection, often known as “survival of the fittest,” where fittest refers to organisms that can survive and reproduce successfully and not to the most physically fit. Marx realizes that “the history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle,” and thus understands progress as the removal of class…

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…

factual, and unbiased. However, popular notions of "truth," "knowledge," and "history" actually skew our perceptions of the past, present, and future. The discourses and wisdom we acquire inevitably taint our relationships with matter, spatiality, and time. German philosophers Friedrich Nietzsche and Walter Benjamin address the partiality of knowledge. Nietzsche's "On Truth and Lie in an Extra-Moral Sense" uses metaphor and the human condition to emphasize the subjective nature of knowledge,…

when she slipped and landed on her left knee. DIAGNOSIS: Lumbar facet arthropathy 12/07/15 progress note by Dr. Tarasenko indicates request for Tramadol and Butrans. The Diagnosis is lumbar facet arthropathy. 10/11/15 progress report by Dr. Kofoed indicated that the patient complains of significant anterior left knee pain. The pain is 7-8/10 on pain scale. She describes pain in the lower back and right knee. There is difficulty with walking. PE of the left knee was within normal limits. MRI…