Claude Lévi-Strauss theorised that human progress actually happens without a clear goal and doesn’t follow a straight line, but rather goes in leaps, changing direction…
I wasn’t expecting that from Levi Strauss of all people.
Martin Luther King Jr’s similar quote is that the moral arc may not be straight, but it bends towards justice. I’m far from being an optimist, but i think humanity generally progresses to better moral values. The hiccups and backlash we see are typically from people who are resistant to changes because they are more comfortable with what they grew up to be familiar in, even if it’s wrong.
Also, I’d argue, because reality isn’t a zero-sum game. We simply earn more by working together and helping each other, and so more altruistic societies are more resilient. Over time this might average out into morally better societies winning out more than they lose out
A lot also depends on what the society does. If it’s only resource extraction, you give people a pick axe and whip them until they start digging. If you want people to do science and engineering, you have to take care of people or you’ll have subpar results.
Claude Lévi-Strauss theorised that human progress actually happens without a clear goal and doesn’t follow a straight line, but rather goes in leaps, changing direction…
See Race and History chap. 5
Surely these alpha brains were discussing this!
I wasn’t expecting that from Levi Strauss of all people.
Martin Luther King Jr’s similar quote is that the moral arc may not be straight, but it bends towards justice. I’m far from being an optimist, but i think humanity generally progresses to better moral values. The hiccups and backlash we see are typically from people who are resistant to changes because they are more comfortable with what they grew up to be familiar in, even if it’s wrong.
Because those with bad morals just don’t last as long. Rebellion and corruption bring them down sooner or later.
Also, I’d argue, because reality isn’t a zero-sum game. We simply earn more by working together and helping each other, and so more altruistic societies are more resilient. Over time this might average out into morally better societies winning out more than they lose out
That doesn’t mean they can’t lose out, though
A lot also depends on what the society does. If it’s only resource extraction, you give people a pick axe and whip them until they start digging. If you want people to do science and engineering, you have to take care of people or you’ll have subpar results.