Do you have any suggestions for redefining progress?

Asked by rojo (24179

) October 1st, 2013

pro·gress

1.positive development: development, usually of a gradual kind, toward achieving a goal or reaching a higher standard
2.advance of human society: the general advance of human society and industry over time toward a state of greater civilization
3.motion toward something: movement forward or onward

These are some of the definitions we have but it seems that we focus solely on the “more”. More goods, more services, more resource acquisition and use, more buildings, more businesses, more housing, more people. What is the goal? Where is the higher standard?

Do you have any suggestions that might give us a system of measurement for progress that might be more sustainable and less destructive.

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4 Answers

I don’t see a problem. By those definitions, things like emitting less pollution is still progress. That is a question of framing: less pollution is more sustainable. What’s the big deal? That some people are dumb enough not to believe that pollution is a problem?

bolwerk (10352

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You could look at it as the amount of people ascending higher levels of Maslow’s Heirarchy of needs

drhat77 (6197

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There has been a movement afoot for years to adopt an indicator of progress that, unlike GDP, accurately accounts for the negative impacts of activities. This indicator is called the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI). So while it records the positive value of production and consumption, like the GDP does, it also deducts for things like loss or damage to natural resources, pollution, and several quality of life factors.

This creates a more accurate overall picture of the overall well-being of a society, since GDP can paint a rosy picture of a society that is producing and consuming while destroying the basis for both production and human welfare.

thorninmud (20495

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