Was progress better before? – release

Was progressives better before? Confession of the political ticketist: when I use the terms « Progress camp », or « progressive » so as not to repeat « the left », I always have a hesitation and a form of dissatisfaction, aware of the imprecision of these terms.

In his book recently published, simply entitled Progress (Anamosa collection), Wolf Feuerhahn, historian and research director at the CNRS, tries to go around this protean concept when it is used in politics. It must be said that the notion has taken a little blow in the wing since Le Progrès, which for at least two centuries has enabled humanity to live better, longer and better, to create an immensity of wealth and to push the limits of science but also of freedom as never before, can now lead us to our loss. In a finished world, progress, even social and as it is still envisaged, that is to say with always more possibility of consuming, will no longer be able to push the limits. He will bang there.

« Progress », before the 18th century, was a politically neutral word. He designated a forward movement: « It is a word of scholars that carry a diagnosis on their own activities and C