In the extensive literature devoted to social progress, there is currently no single answer to the main question: what is the general sociological criterion of social progress?

A relatively small number of authors argue that the very formulation of the question of a single criterion for social progress is meaningless, since human society is a complex organism, the development of which occurs along different lines, which makes it impossible to formulate a single criterion. Most authors consider it possible to formulate a single general sociological criterion of social progress. However, even with the very formulation of such a criterion, there are significant discrepancies.

Condorcet (like other French educators) considered the development of reason to be a criterion of progress. Utopian socialists put forward a moral criterion of progress. Saint-Simon believed, for example, that society should adopt a form of organization that would lead to the implementation of the moral principle: all people should treat each other as brothers. A contemporary of the utopian socialists, the German philosopher Friedrich Wilhelm Schelling (1775-1854), wrote that resolving the issue of historical progress is complicated by the fact that supporters and opponents of the belief in the improvement of mankind are completely confused in disputes about the criteria of progress. Some talk about the progress of mankind in the field of morality, others about the progress of science and technology, which, as Schelling wrote, from a historical point of view is rather a regression, and proposed his own solution to the problem: the criterion for establishing the historical progress of the human race can only be a gradual approach to the legal structure. Another point of view on social progress belongs to G. Hegel. He saw the criterion of progress in the consciousness of freedom. As the consciousness of freedom grows, society develops progressively.

As we see, the question of the criterion of progress occupied the great minds of modern times, but they did not find a solution. The disadvantage of all attempts to overcome this task was that in all cases only one line (or one side, or one sphere) of social development was considered as a criterion. Reason, morality, science, technology, legal order, and the consciousness of freedom - all these are very important indicators, but not universal, not covering the life of a person and society as a whole.

The prevailing idea of ​​limitless progress inevitably led to what seemed to be the only possible solution to the problem; the main, if not the only, criterion of social progress can only be the development of material production, which ultimately predetermines changes in all other aspects and spheres of social life. Among Marxists, V.I. more than once insisted on this conclusion. Lenin, who back in 1908 called for considering the interests of the development of productive forces as the highest criterion of progress. After October, Lenin returned to this definition and emphasized that the state of the productive forces is the main criterion of all social development, since each subsequent socio-economic formation finally defeated the previous one precisely because it opened up greater scope for the development of productive forces, achieved higher social productivity labor.

A serious argument in favor of this position is that the history of mankind itself begins with the manufacture of tools and exists thanks to the continuity in the development of productive forces.

It is noteworthy that the conclusion about the state and level of development of the productive forces as the general criterion of progress was shared by opponents of Marxism - technicalists, on the one hand, and scientists, on the other. A legitimate question arises: how could the concepts of Marxism (i.e., materialism) and scientism (i.e., idealism) converge at one point? The logic of this convergence is as follows. The scientist discovers social progress, first of all, in the development of scientific knowledge, but scientific knowledge acquires its highest meaning only when it is realized in practice, and, above all, in material production.

In the process of the ideological confrontation between the two systems, which was just receding into the past, technologists used the thesis of the productive forces as the general criterion of social progress to prove the superiority of the West, which was and is ahead in this indicator. The disadvantage of this criterion is that the assessment of production forces involves taking into account their quantity, nature, achieved level of development and associated labor productivity, ability to grow, which is very important when comparing different countries and stages of historical development. For example, the number of production forces in modern India is greater than in South Korea, but their quality is lower. If we take the development of production forces as a criterion of progress; assessing them in dynamics, this presupposes comparison not from the point of view of greater or lesser development of production forces, but from the point of view of the course and speed of their development. But in this case, the question arises what period should be taken for comparison.

Some philosophers believe that all difficulties will be overcome if we take the method of production of material goods as a general sociological criterion of social progress. A strong argument in favor of this position is that the foundation of social progress is the development of the mode of production as a whole, that by taking into account the state and growth of production forces, as well as the nature of production relations, the progressive nature of one formation in relation to another can be shown much more fully.

Without denying that the transition from one mode of production to another, more progressive one, underlies progress in a number of other areas, opponents of this point of view almost always note that the main question remains unresolved: how to determine the very progressiveness of this new production method.

Fairly considering that human society is, first of all, a developing community of people, another group of philosophers puts forward the development of man himself as a general sociological criterion for social progress. It is indisputable that the course of human history really testifies to the development of the people who make up human society, their social and individual strengths, abilities, and inclinations. The advantage of this approach is that it allows us to measure social progress by the progressive development of the subjects of historical creativity themselves - people.

The most important criterion for progress is the level of humanism of society, i.e. the position of the individual in it: the degree of his economic, political and social liberation; the level of satisfaction of her material and spiritual needs; the state of her psychophysical and social health. According to this point of view, the criterion of social progress is the measure of freedom that society is able to provide to the individual, the degree of individual freedom guaranteed by society. The free development of man in a free society also means the revelation of his truly human qualities - intellectual, creative, moral. The development of human qualities depends on people's living conditions. The more fully a person’s various needs for food, clothing, housing, transport services, and his requests in the spiritual field are satisfied, the more moral the relations between people become, the more accessible to a person the most diverse types of economic and political, spiritual and material activities become. The more favorable the conditions for the development of a person’s physical, intellectual, mental strength, his moral principles, the wider the scope for the development of individual qualities inherent in each individual person. In short, the more humane the living conditions, the more opportunities there are for the development of humanity in a person: reason, morality, creative powers.

Let us note, by the way, that within this indicator, which is complex in its structure, it is possible and necessary to single out one that essentially combines all the others. This, in my opinion, is the average life expectancy. And if in a given country it is 10-12 years less than in the group of developed countries, and besides, it shows a tendency to further decrease, the question of the degree of progressiveness of this country must be decided accordingly. For, as one of the famous poets said, “all progress is reactionary if man collapses.”

The level of humanism of a society as an integrative criterion (i.e., passing through and absorbing changes in literally all spheres of society’s life) criterion incorporates the criteria discussed above. Each subsequent formational and civilizational stage is more progressive in personal terms - it expands the range of rights and freedoms of the individual, entails the development of his needs and the improvement of his abilities. It is enough to compare in this respect the status of slave and serf, serf and hired worker under capitalism. At first, it may seem that the slaveholding formation stands apart in this regard, marking the beginning of the era of exploitation of man by man. But, as F. Engels explained, even for a slave, not to mention free people, slavery was progress in personal terms: if before a prisoner was killed or eaten, now he was left to live.

So, the content of social progress was, is and will be the “humanization of man,” achieved through the contradictory development of his natural and social forces, i.e., productive forces and the entire gamut of social relations. From the above, we can draw a conclusion about a universal criterion of social progress: that which contributes to the rise of humanism is progressive. The world community's thoughts about the “limits to growth” have significantly updated the problem of criteria for social progress. Indeed, if in the social world around us not everything is as simple as it seemed and seems to progressists, then what are the most significant signs that can be used to judge the progress of social development as a whole, the progressiveness, conservatism or reactionary nature of certain phenomena?

Let us note right away that the question “how to measure” social progress has never received an unambiguous answer in the philosophical and sociological literature. This situation is largely explained by the complexity of society as a subject and object of progress, its diversity and quality. Hence the search for our own, local criterion for each sphere of public life. But at the same time, society is an integral organism and, as such, the main criterion of social progress must correspond to it. People, as G. V. Plekhanov noted, make not several stories, but one story of their own relationships. Our thinking is capable and must reflect this single historical practice in its integrity.

Social progress - the movement of society from simple and backward forms to more advanced and complex ones.

The opposite concept is regression - a return of society to already obsolete, backward forms.

Since progress involves assessing changes in society as positive or negative, it can be understood differently by different researchers, depending on the criteria of progress. These include:

development of productive forces;

development of science and technology;

increasing people's freedom;

improvement of the human mind;

moral development.

Since these criteria do not correspond, and often contradict each other, the ambiguity of social progress appears: progress in some areas of society can lead to regression in others.

In addition, progress has such a feature as inconsistency: any progressive discovery of humanity can turn against itself. For example, the discovery of nuclear energy led to the creation of the nuclear bomb.

P Progress in society can be achieved in various ways:

I .

1) revolution - a violent transition of society from one socio-political system to another, affecting most spheres of life.

Signs of revolution:

a radical change in the existing system;

affects all spheres of public life sharply;

abrupt change.

2) reform - gradual, successive transformations of individual spheres carried out by the authorities.

There are two types of reforms: progressive (beneficial for society) and regressive (having a negative impact).

Signs of reform:

a smooth change that does not affect the basics;

As a rule, it affects only one sphere of society.

II .

1) revolution - sharp, abrupt, unpredictable changes leading to qualitative transformation.

2) evolution - gradual, smooth transformations, predominantly quantitative in nature.

1.17. Multivariate development of society

Society - such a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that it is impossible to unambiguously describe and predict its development. However, in social science several types of classification of the development of societies have developed.

I. Classification of society according to the main factor of production.

1. Traditional (agrarian, pre-industrial) society. The main factor of production is land. The main product is produced in agriculture, extensive technologies dominate, non-economic coercion is widespread, and technology is underdeveloped. The social structure is unchanged, social mobility is practically absent. Religious consciousness determines all spheres of social life.

2. Industrial (industrial) society. The main factor of production is capital. The transition from manual labor to machine labor, from a traditional society to an industrial one - the industrial revolution. Mass industrial production dominates. Science and technology are developing, and they are improving industry. The social structure is changing and the possibility of changing social status appears. Religion fades into the background, individualization of consciousness occurs, and pragmatism and utilitarianism are established.

3. Post-industrial (information) society. The main factor of production is knowledge and information. The service sector and small-scale production dominate. Economic growth is determined by the growth of consumption (“consumer society”). High social mobility, the determining factor in the social structure is the middle class. Political pluralism, democratic values ​​and the importance of the human person. The importance of spiritual values.

Social progress is considered in the school course in a multifaceted way; it becomes possible to see the inconsistency of the process. Society develops unevenly, changing positions like a person. It is important to choose the path that will lead to improved living conditions and preservation of the planet.

The Problem of the Progressive Movement

Since ancient times, scientists have tried to determine the paths of development of societies. Some found similarities with nature: the seasons. Others identified cyclical patterns of ups and downs. The cycle of events did not allow us to give precise instructions on how and where to move the peoples. A scientific problem has arisen. The main directions are laid down in the understanding two terms :

• Progress;
• Regression.

The thinker and poet of Ancient Greece Hesiod divided the history of mankind into 5 eras :

• Gold;
• Silver;
• Copper;
• Bronze;
• Iron.

Rising upward from century to century, a person should have become better and better, but history has proven the opposite. The scientist's theory failed. The Iron Age, in which the scientist himself lived, did not become an impetus for the development of morality. Democritus divided history into three groups :

• Past;
• Present;
• Future.

The transition from one period to another should show growth and improvement, but this approach did not become true either.

TOP 4 articleswho are reading along with this

Plato and Aristotle conceived of history as a process of movement through cycles with repeating stages.

Scientists proceeded from an understanding of progress. According to social science, the concept of social progress is movement forward. Regression is an antonym, a contrast to the first concept. Regression is a movement from higher to lower, degradation.

Progress and regression are characterized by movement, its continuity has been proven. But movement can go up - for the better, down - to a return to previous forms of life.

Contradictions of scientific theories

Hesiod reasoned on the basis that humanity develops by learning the lessons of the past. The inconsistency of the social process refuted his reasoning. In the last century, relations of high morality should have been formed among people. Hesiod noted the decomposition of moral values, people began to preach evil, violence, and war. The scientist put forward the idea of ​​a regressive development of history. Man, in his opinion, cannot change the course of history, he is a pawn and does not play a role in the tragedy of the planet.

Progress became the basis of the theory of the French philosopher A. R. Turgot. He proposed viewing history as a constant movement forward. He proved it by suggesting the properties of the human mind. A person constantly achieves success, consciously improves his life and living conditions. Supporters of the progressive path of development:

• J. A. Condorcet;
• G. Hegel.

Karl Marx also supported their faith. He believed that humanity penetrates nature and, by studying its capabilities, improves itself.

It is not possible to imagine history as a line rising forward. It will be a curve or broken line: ups and downs, surges and declines.

Criteria for the progress of social development

Criteria are the basis, the circumstances that lead to the development or stabilization of certain processes. The criteria for social progress have gone through different approaches.

The table helps to understand the views on the development trends of society of scientists from different eras:

Examples of progressive development

Examples of moving forward include the following public phenomena and processes :

• economic growth;
• discovery of new scientific theories;
• development and modernization of technical means;
• discovery of new types of energy: nuclear, atomic;
• the growth of cities that improve human living conditions.

Examples of progress are the development of medicine, the increase in the types and power of means of communication between people, and the passing of concepts such as slavery into the past.

Regression examples

Society is moving along the path of regression, which phenomena scientists attribute to backward movement:

• Environmental problems: damage to nature, environmental pollution, destruction of the Aral Sea.
• Improving types of weapons that lead to mass death of humanity.
• The creation and spread of atomic weapons across the planet, leading to the death of a huge number of people.
• An increase in the number of industrial accidents that are dangerous for people located in the territory where they are located (nuclear reactors, nuclear power plants).
• Air pollution in large populated areas.

The law defining the signs of regression has not been established by scientists. Each society develops in its own way. Laws adopted in some states are unacceptable to others. The reason is the individuality of one person and entire nations. The determining force in the movement of history is man, and it is difficult to fit him into a framework, to give him a definite plan along which he follows in life.

Before studying social progress, we should find out what the terms “progress” and “regression” mean. The key concepts for understanding the identified problem are the concepts of “change” and “development”. Change means the transition of systems from one state to another. Changes can be quantitative and qualitative, reversible and irreversible. Development but this is only a qualitative, natural and irreversible change in systems.

So, three features reveal the essence of the concept of “development”.

1. Development does not characterize all changes, but only qualitative ones.

2. Irreversibility is the most important characteristic of development. If any process is reversible, that is, its properties and qualities can appear, disappear and appear again, then this is a change, but not development.

3. Regularity . The absence of a pattern is typical for random processes, for example, disasters. They cannot be considered development.

So: the proposed understanding of development does not characterize all types of quantitative and qualitative changes, but only those that result in natural, irreversible qualitative changes.

Development is a contradictory phenomenon and can be carried out both in an ascending and descending direction - both progress and regression.

Progress- a form of development associated with the transition from a less perfect to a more perfect state, from lower to higher.

Regression– the opposite concept is a form of development associated with the transition from a higher to a lower state. This is a backward movement, these are processes of decay, destruction, loss of the system’s ability to perform the necessary functions.

Social progress- this is the ascending, progressive development of humanity, associated with the transition from a less perfect to a more perfect state.

Community development is contradictory in nature: it is the unity of the progressive and the regressive. In this regard, the question arises: how to distinguish progressive development from regressive? In other words, what is the criterion, that is, the “measure”, a sign of progressive development?

There are criteria for social progress general And private.

The general criterion for the progress of society can be considered as trinity the following indicators:

1. The degree of development of the productive forces of society - engineering, technology, science, transport, communications and, finally, the most important thing - a person who knows how and wants to work.

2. Degree of compliance economic, legal, political and other laws, operating in society, development needs productive forces .

3. Degree of social freedom working population and social security disabled population.

In addition to the general criterion of social progress, to assess the nature of the development of individual aspects of social life, private criteria.

Let us give some examples of private criteria in various spheres of public life.

In spiritual life these will be: opportunities for creative personal expression; the quantity and quality of books, magazines, museums, libraries, theaters, other cultural institutions and their accessibility to the population; availability and quantity of free time, quality of leisure.

In material life, technical progress is important, i.e. improvement of equipment, technology, penetration of technology into the spheres of everyday life, culture, and art.

Think about what scientific progress is, whether there is progress in morality, progress in the field of art.

Studying history, we see how different aspects of social life change over time, one type of society replaces another.

Social changes

Various changes are constantly taking place in society. Some of them are being carried out before our eyes (a new president is elected, social programs to help families or the poor are introduced, legislation is changed).

Social changes are characterized by their direction, they can be both positive (positive changes for the better), they are called progress, and negative (negative changes for the worse) - regression.

We advise you to remember!
Social progress - consistent positive changes in society; the process of its ascent from one historical stage to another, the development of society from simple to complex, from less developed forms to more developed ones.
Social regression is the movement of society back to lower levels of development.

Let's look at a historical example. The Roman Empire developed progressively over hundreds of years. New buildings were erected, architecture, poetry and theater developed, legislation was improved, and new territories were conquered. But during the era of the Great Migration, barbarian nomadic tribes destroyed the Roman Empire. Livestock and poultry were grazed on the ruins of ancient palaces; aqueducts no longer supplied fresh water to the cities. Illiteracy reigned where arts and crafts had previously flourished. Progress gave way to regression.

Paths of social progress

Progress is made in different ways and ways. There are gradual and spasmodic types of social progress. The first is called reformist, the second - revolutionary.

We advise you to remember!
Reform is a partial gradual improvement in any area; transformation carried out by legislative means.
Revolution is a complete change in all or most aspects of social life, affecting the foundations of the existing social system.

The first revolution in human history was the so-called Neolithic revolution, which represented a qualitative leap, a transition from an appropriating economy (hunting and gathering) to a producing economy (agriculture and cattle breeding). The Neolithic revolution began 10 thousand years ago. It was a global revolution - it swept the whole world.

The second global process was the industrial revolution of the 18th-19th centuries. It also played an outstanding role in human history, leading to the spread of machine production and the replacement of an agrarian society with an industrial one.

Global revolutions affect all spheres of society and many countries, and therefore lead to qualitative changes.

Revolutions taking place in individual countries also lead to reorganization in all spheres of people’s lives. A similar thing happened to Russia after the October Revolution of 1917, when the Soviets of Workers' and Peasants' Deputies came to power. The authorities changed, entire social groups disappeared (for example, the nobility), but new ones appeared - the Soviet intelligentsia, collective farmers, party workers, etc.

Reforms are partial changes that affect not the entire society, but certain areas of it.

Reforms, as a rule, do not affect all countries, but each one separately, since this is an internal matter of the state. Reforms are carried out by the government, are transparent, are planned in advance, the general population is involved in their discussion, and the progress of the reform is covered by the press.

Interesting facts
One of the greatest reformers in history was the Byzantine emperor Justinian I (527-565). He established a commission to create a code of Roman law (in Latin - Corpus juris civilis) with the aim of replacing outdated laws. It was also necessary to eliminate contradictions in legislation. When the Justinian Code was created, all laws not included in it became invalid. Until now, Roman law underlies the civil law of most modern countries (including Russia).

Today our country is undergoing an education reform, which began back in the 1990s and led to the emergence of new textbooks, the Unified State Examination system, and state educational standards.

Clever idea
“Progress is a way of human existence.”
- - Victor Hugo, French writer - -

The impact of technological progress on society

The basis for the development of society is technical progress - the improvement of tools and technology, as it changes production, quality and productivity of labor, affects people and the relationship between society and nature.

Technical progress has a long history of development. About 2 million years ago, the first tools appeared (remember what they were), from which technical progress began. About 8-10 thousand years ago, our ancestors moved from gathering and hunting to agriculture and cattle breeding, and about 6 thousand years ago, people began to live in cities, specialize in certain types of labor, and divided into social classes. In the second half of the 17th century, with the beginning of the industrial revolution, the era of industrial factories opened, and in the 20th century - computers, the Internet, thermonuclear energy, and space exploration. A modern personal computer is superior in performance to computer centers of the 80-90s of the last century.

What replaced the forge (1), plow (2), pen and inkwell (3)? Can we talk about social progress in these cases?

Perhaps no other society has valued innovation as highly as the modern one. In the 20th century, unique inventions were made: electricity, radio, television, cars, airplanes, nuclear energy, rocket science, computers, laser technology and robots. Each new invention, in turn, led to the creation of even more advanced generations of technology.

Technological progress also affected the social sphere. Technical devices make a person’s life much easier, help people solve everyday problems (cook food, clean the apartment, do laundry, etc.), and come to the aid of people with disabilities. The advent of the automobile radically changed ideas about the place of work and residence, and made it possible for a person to live many kilometers from his workplace. People have become more mobile, including teenagers, who, thanks to the Internet, began to communicate with their peers from geographically distant places.

Technological progress has changed the lives of millions of people, but at the same time it has created many problems. Active human intervention in nature has led to many negative consequences: many species of plants and animals are disappearing or are on the verge of extinction, forests are being cut down, industrial enterprises are polluting water, air and soil. The conveniences of city life are accompanied by air pollution, transport fatigue, etc.

Let's sum it up
Social progress is the movement of humanity from lower to higher levels. It has a global character, covering the whole world. On the contrary, regression is a temporary retreat from the conquered positions. Revolutions and reforms are two types of social progress. Revolutions can be global or limited to one or several countries. Reforms are carried out only in one society and are gradual.

Basic terms and concepts
Social progress, social regression, reforms, revolution, technical progress.

Test your knowledge

1. Give examples of social change. Do changes in social life always lead to positive consequences? Justify your answer.
2. Explain the meaning of the concepts: “social progress”, “social regression”, “reform”, “revolution”, “technical progress”.
3. Select keywords that characterize social progress, social regression, revolutions, reforms.
4. Give examples from history that illustrate different paths of social progress.
5. How do you think wars influence the development of society? Do they serve a progressive or regressive role? Explain your answer.

Workshop