Idea of progress

Idea of progress

Introduction:

Progress is the regular evolution of humanity, of civilization towards an ideal goal. Progress is involved in all areas that evolve; we talk about technical progress, economical progress, social progress etc. The idea of progress has always existed in humans. But sometimes, some progress is also causing some problems.

So we can wonder if the idea of progress is necessarily something good.

Firstly, we will see the various advances that have been made possible thanks to progress. Then we will review that some progress has adverse effects.

I Various advances that have been made possible thanks to progress

The idea of progress is clearly involved in the field of health. Many ways are being implemented to make the life of the disabled easier. For example we had listened to an interview (in class) about a kid named Liam who was born without his left hand. His father made him a prosthetic hand. Thanks to this prosthetic hand, Liam can now grab items which improve his life. His father made the hand with a 3D printer, he explains that this allowed him to make a prosthesis much cheaper than real prostheses (he could not afford to buy a real prosthesis). That’s why technical progress allowed Liam to have a better life.

On another interview we have learn that some scientists are trying at the present time an experimental treatment to reverse the aging process. They tested in on mice and it was a success (cells were renewed). Progress would therefore not only make life better but also make it eternal. The idea of progress is therefore essential for human. But we'll see that some aspects of progress are not always positive.

II Some progress has adverse effects

We have seen previously that scientists aim to prolong life expectancy. However we can ask ourselves what are the negative consequences that this can cause. This treatment could cause some diseases in long-term. Our planet would be overcrowded and there would be a lack of food and water. There would be more unemployment, more homeless.

We also listened to another audio documentary entitled “designer babies”. In this extract, doctor Cablyn explains us that many searchers are trying to find a way to modify the physical characteristics of a baby. This is therefore a technical progress but we can wonders if this does not pose ethical problems. This progress goes against human diversity and we can think that it is something immoral.

The development of the internet is also an example of a technical progress which are also at the origin of different problem. Anmar Frangoul, in his article in the newspaper “The Sunday Time” explains us what is the online addiction. He took the example of Andrew, a teenager who is addicted to computer and especially to video games. Andrew will lose his friends, he will be bullied. Before his addiction, Andrew was a good student and was really sporty. Today, he rarely goes out of the house. Progress therefore does not always bring positive changes

To conclude we have seen that even though the goal of progress is to make life better and easier, some progress had opposite effects in an involuntary way. In my opinion the idea of progress is essential for humans but we have to learn how to better manage this. Sometimes we have to take our time and not go too fast.

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