Will Things Always Get Better? | Mary Harrington

In this clip, Mary makes a case against out modern culture's blind assumption the society will continue to progress indefinitely.
Mary Harrington is a contributing editor at UnHerd. She writes on Substack at Reactionary Feminist, and tweets as @moveincircles. Feminism Against Progress (Regnery, April 25) is her first book.
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See full interview here: • Motherhood, Transhuman...
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[@jamessparkes5492]

Simply put making change doesn't equal making progress.

[@frosty3693]

Certainly true for change for change's sake. An attack on conservatives is they are against change. That is not true. They want to make sure the change is for the better. There is an old American poster saying, "When you are up to your posterior in Alligators it is hard to remember your original intent was to drain the swamp."

[@skylinefever]

I often call it the belief that line will go up nonstop. What goes up must come down.

[@frosty3693]

The Voyager probes 1 and 2 may disagree. Or are they exceptions that proves the rule? (sorry, finding fault may be genetic in my case)

[@stephendownes6331]

In many ways progress will continue, there are many areas where we could make improvements from a physical and material or technological position. However culture is circular and repetitive, the old rules are rules and ignoring them leads to a descent. There are what we might call perfect truths that no matter of progressive can ever dispute or overcome.

[@Slarti]

I work as a software engineer and have done so fir 30+years and most of the "progress" in IT is just a rehash of old ideas.

[@carnakthemagnificent336]

The largest challenges facing Western civilization aren't related to finite fossil fuels. Our catastrophes are self-inflicted. We are largely ignorant of the ACTUAL PROGRESS Western culture has made not only in wealth creation, living conditions, life expectancy, but more essentially in the belief in human value, in freedom. No one ever "escaped" from West Germany to the DDR. No one attempted to flee by boat from Miami to Havana, or Taiwan to the CCP.

[@CorneliusMagnus]

I have never looked at belief in progress as a Christian heresy, but it makes a lot of sense.

[@dantheman5222]

why we crash so hard as a humanity is we have all forgotten how to light a fire.

[@graemestewart5836]

Religion came after evolution I guess , when our ancestors had plenty of time sitting around wondering about where it was that we first came from and the meaning of life . Life back then I imagine was much simpler and uncomplicated compared to today. Even 60 years ago life was much less complex than present. No one can accurately predict what lies ahead. Without rules such as law and order, respect and responsibility, and that is for all that exists here on earth, chaos will prevail and maybe mass extinction once more.

[@AnthonyTolhurst-dw1nc]

Bring it on.

[@psikeyhackr6914]

Most people just use technology, they do not understand technology. I asked a PhD economist to explain how an automobile engine worked. He could not even start. But he drove an SUV that was Whiter than he was. So the problem is that technology can be destructive even as it progresses. The technology is not to blame it is mostly ignorant people making bad decisions. Why aren't economists talking about Planned Obsolescence and the depreciation of durable consumer goods since Sputnik? Why aren't educators talking about mandatory accounting/finance in the schools? When do you ever hear about NDP, Net Domestic Product? How many automobiles have Americans trashed since Sputnik?

[@ye333]

The root is narcissism.

[@zilindogomes1767]

😊

[@dannysullivan3951]

I don’t see anyone volunteering to live in the past. Ahistorical gobbling.

[@Asimmehra]

Why are there so many different versions of the Bible?

[@frosty3693]

As new translations of older more original script come out newer possibly more accurate versions are made. And there are some modern versions that are written to make them easier to read. Religion is called a 'belief' rather than a 'know' perhaps for a reason.

[@evolassunglasses4673]

Read Spengler.

[@skylinefever]

It's all over once children are a matter of pro and con.

[@LifeIsThePrayer]

Even beyond religion we can look at our world, look at our history and see that things have been getting better. Even where civilizations collapse and species go extinct life is always in progress towards better. We can resist that idea. Or we can be a part of healing the wounds and righting the wrongs. This is also a core teaching of Zoroastrianism which well predates Christianity.

[@rudi5139]

If you still believe in Whig history you might as well believe in Santa Claus.

[@MichelleyB-zk3eh]

The current evidence supports her position, but yet anything is possible.

[@maureenchilders6656]

Cloward and Pivens

[@bouyantrite553]

BDS central banks and government

[@paulwary]

Its hard to admit it, because Ive always felt that technological progress is real in terms of medicine, life expectancy, comfort, knowledge, creativity. But chaos and cannibalism lies waiting just around the blind corner. We'll always sit uncomfortably between the other animals and the gods.

[@leevan2332]

Things will not get better GO READ YOUR BIBLE!!!!

[@baryntn41]

Yes and amen!

[@moxiesaint-clare4257]

We are living in the end of days (Christian days) and the hour is already late.

[@chris-tfs9074]

@leevan2332 DEFINITELY there will be times of trouble that has never been before at the end of days, according to the Bible! READ YOU BIBLE! 🙏❤️🙏

[@skylinefever]

I looked. All I saw was ramblings of paranoid schizos. Say that God sees you 24/7 and talks to you invisibly, and it is fine. Say three letter agents are doing it and you'll be referred to the mental health ward.

[@Missy-mb3fq]

Amen!

[@moxiesaint-clare4257]

The more things change the more they stay the same.