What is the main public progress. Progress criteria

Are you already familiar with the concept of social dynamics? The society does not stand still, constantly changing the directions of its development. Is the society really increasing the pace of their development, what is his focus? How to answer it correctly, we will analyze in the task 25 after the topic.

"Progress is a movement in a circle, but more and more fast"

So the American writer Leonard Levinson considered.

To begin with, we remember that we already know the concept and it and also worked

Recall that one of the signs is - development, movement. The society is constantly in the process of change, the institutions necessary for him are developing, complicating unclaimed institutions die away. We have already traced the development of the Institute

Let's look at other important institutions - imagine their development and social relevance in them as a table:

Social dynamics are expressed in a variety of directions of development of society.

Progress - the progressive development of society, expressed in the complication of the social structure.

Regression - Degradation of social structure and public relations (reverse progress term, its antonym).

The concepts of progress and regression are very conditional, characteristic of the development of one society cannot be acceptable to the other. Recall that in the ancient Sparta of weak newborn boys just dumped from the rock, for they could not become war. Today, this custom looks like barbaric.

Evolution - gradual development of society (Reverse Revolution Term, His Antony). One of its forms is reform - change that comes from and changing relations in one of the spheres (for example, agricultural reform P.A. Stolypin). The revolution in the sense comes from

Social dynamics is the subject of studying one of the Social Sciences - social exist two main approaches to the study of society.

According to Marx, each society must pass all the levels of development and come to (linearity of development). The civilization approach involves the alternative to the paths of each parallel existence of societies with different levels of development, which more corresponds to modern realities. It is this approach that is most in demand in the context of the tasks of the USE.

Let's try to compare three types of societies according to different important parameters in the form of a table:

And we conclude that in historical development there are three main types of society:

Traditional Society -the historical type of civilization based on and predominance and

Industrial Society -the historical type of civilization is based on the introduction of the Middle Ages in the elimination of the monarchical political system.

Post-industrial (informational) Society -the modern type of civilization based on the domination (computer in production, the result of the 20th century.

Thus, we have worked today the following important topics from

• Concept of public progress;
• Multivariance of social development (types of societies).

And now Workshop! We fix the knowledge gained today!

Perform

the task 25. What is the meaning of social scientists in the concept of "progress criterion"? Attracting the knowledge of the social science rate, make up two sentences: one sentence, revealing the features of progress, and one sentence containing information on the criteria (s) definition of progress.

First, do not make the most common mistake associated with this task. We require not two sentences, but the concept and 2 sentences (only three!). So, they remembered the concept of progress - the progressive development of society, his movement forward. We will select synonym for words criterion - Measure, Merylo. Respectively:
"Progress criterion" is a measure, according to the degree of development of society.

1. The peculiarity of progress is its inconsistency, all progress criteria are subjective.

And, remember that although the degree of development of society can be measured in different ways (there is a mass of approaches - the level of development of science, technology and technology, the degree of democraticness, generally accepted a single criterion - the humanity of society). So:

2. The universal criterion for determining progress is the degree of humanity of society, the ability to provide maximum conditions for the development of each person.

So, here's what our answer looks like:

25. "Progress criterion" is a measure, according to the degree of development of society.

1. The peculiarity of progress is its inconsistency, all progress criteria are subjective.
2. The universal criterion for determining progress is the degree of humanity of society, the ability to maximize the development conditions to each person.

Public Progress - The movement of society from ordinary and backward forms to more perfect and complex.

Opposite concept - regression - Returns of society to the already taught, backward forms.

Since progress implies an assessment of changes in society as positive or negative, it can be understood in various researchers in different ways, depending on progress criteria. As such, allocate:

development of productive forces;

development of science and technology;

an increase in freedom of people;

improving the human mind;

moral development.

Since these criteria do not correspond, and often, and contradict each other, the ambiguity of public progress is manifested: the progress in some spheres 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 him. For example, the opening of nuclear energy led to the creation of a nuclear bomb.

P rogress in society can be carried out in various ways:

I. .

1) revolution - The violent transition of society from one social and political system to another affecting the majority of the spheres of life.

Signs of revolution:

a fundamental change in the existing system;

affects all spheres of public life sharp;

scrolling change.

2) reform - Permanent transformation of individual spheres conducted by the authorities.

Two types of reforms are distinguished: progressive (useful for society) and regressive (having a negative impact).

Signs of reform:

smooth change that does not affect the foundations;

touching, as a rule, only one sphere of society.

II. .

1) revolution - sharp, hoppy, unpredictable changes leading to a quality conversion.

2) evolution - Gradual, smooth transformations that are mainly quantitative.

1.17. Multivariates of the development of society

Society - So complicated and multilateral phenomenon that it is impossible to uniquely describe and predict its development. However, in the social studies there are several types of classification of societies.

I. Classification of society for 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 are dominated, out-economic coercion, undeveloped technology is widespread. Social structure unchanged, social mobility is practically absent. Religious consciousness determines all spheres of society.

2. Industrial (industrial) society. The main factor of production is capital. Transition from manual labor to machine, from traditional society to the industrial - industrial revolution. Mass industrial production dominates. Science and technology develop, and they are improving industry. Social structure changes and the ability to change social status appears. Religion goes into the background, the individualization of consciousness occurs, and the pragmatism and utilitarianism is approved.

3. Post-industrial (informational) society. The main factor of production - knowledge, information. The scope of services and small-scale production dominates. Economic growth is determined by the increase in consumption ("society of consumption"). High social mobility, determining in the social structure, is the middle class. Political pluralism, democratic values \u200b\u200band significance of the human personality. The significance of spiritual values.

The idea of \u200b\u200bprogressive development entered into science as a secularized (worldly) version of the faith of Christians in Providence. The image of the future in biblical stories was an irreversible, predetermined and holy process of the development of people led by Divine Will. However, the origins of this idea are revealed much earlier. Next, we will analyze what progress is, what is his goal and meaning.

First mention

Before talking, what progress is, a brief historical description of the appearance and dissemination of this idea should be given. In particular, in an ancient Greek philosophical tradition, there is reasoning on the improvement of the existing socio-political structure, which developed from the primitive community and the family to the ancient policy, that is, cities-states (Aristotle "Politics", Platon "Laws"). A little later, during the Middle Ages, Bacon tried to apply the concept and concept of progress in the ideological region. In his opinion, accumulating over the time of knowledge are increasingly enriched and improved. Thus, each next generation is capable of seeing further and better than its predecessors.

What is progress?

This word has Latin roots and translated "success", "forward". Progress is a direction for the development of a progressive nature. For this process, the transition to the highest from the lower, from less than the more perfect. Society's progress is a global, world-historical phenomenon. This process involves the ascent of human associations from wildness, primitive states to the heights of civilization. This transition is based on political and legal, moral and ethical, scientific and technical achievements.

Main components

It is described above what progress is and when for the first time began to talk about this concept. Next, we will analyze its components. In the course of improvement, the following parties are developing:

• Material. In this case, we are talking about the most complete satisfaction of the benefits of all people and the elimination of any technical restrictions for this.
• Social component. Here we are talking about the process of approaching society to justice and freedom.
• Scientific. This component reflects the process of continuous, deepening and expanding knowledge of the surrounding world, its development both in micro and in the macro-footer; The liberation of knowledge from the borders of economic feasibility.

New time

During this period, they began to see progress in natural science. His point of view on the process was expressed by G. Spencer. In his opinion, progress - both in nature and in society - was subordinate to the universal evolutionary increasing complexity of the internal functioning and organization. Over time, the form of progress began to be viewed in the literature, universal history. ART LEADER AND ART. In different civilizations there was a variety of social. orders who, in turn led to different types of progress. The so-called "staircase" was formed. At its top there were the most developed and civilized West Societies. Next, on different steps there were other cultures. Distribution depended on the level of development. There was a "westernization" concept. As a result, such types of progress appeared as "American-centrism" and "Euro-centrism".

The newest time

During this period, a decisive role was assigned to a person. Weber emphasized the tendency of rationalization of a universal nature in the management of a variety of Durkheim brought other examples of progress. He spoke of the trend of social integration by means of "organic solidarity". It was based on the complementary and mutually beneficial contribution of all participants in society.

Classical concept

The border of the 19-20 centuries is called "Triumph of Development Ideas". At that time, universal confidence that scientific and technical progress is able to be guaranteed to ensure continuous improvement in life, was accompanied by the spirit of romantic optimism. In general, in society existed a classic concept. She was an optimistic idea of \u200b\u200bthe gradual liberation of humanity from fear and ignorance on the way to increasingly refined and high levels of civilization. The classic concept was based on the concept of linear irreversible time. Here, progress was positively characterized by the difference between the present and future or past and present.

Goals and objectives

It was assumed that the movement described would continuously continue not only in the present, but also in the future, despite the random deviations. The conviction was quite widespread in the masses in the masses that progress can be preserved at all stages in each basic structure of society. As a result, everyone should have achieved complete prosperity.

Main criteria

Among them, most often met:

• Religious improvement (J. Buce, Augustine).
• An increase in scientific knowledge (O. Cont, J. A. Condorce).
• Equality and justice (K. Marx, T. MOR).
• Expansion of individual freedom in the complex with the development of morality (E. Durkheim, I. Kant).
• Urbanization, Industrialization, Improvement of technology (K. A. Saint-Simon).
• Domination over natural forces (Spencer).

Contracted progress

The first doubts in the correctness of the concept began to speak after the first world. The inconsistency of progress consisted in the emergence of ideas about negative side effects in the development of society. One of the first to be criticized by F. Tennis. He believed that social development from traditional to modern, industrial, not only did not improve, but, on the contrary, worsened the living conditions of people. Primary, direct, personal social connections of the traditional interaction of people were replaced by mediated, impersonal, secondary, exclusively to the instrumental contacts inherent in the modern world. This, according to tennis, was the main problem of progress.

Strengthening critics

After the Second World War, it became obvious that the development in one field entails negative consequences in another. Industrialization, urbanization, scientific and technical progress were accompanied by environmental pollution. What, in turn, provoked a new theory appeared. Confidence that humanity needs continuous economic progress, replaced by an alternative thought about the "growth limits".

Forecast

Researchers calculated that when the level of consumption of different countries approaches Western standards, the planet may explode from environmental overload. The concept of "Golden Billion", in accordance with which only 1 billion people from secured States can be guaranteed to obtain secured existence on Earth, completely undermined the chief postulate, on which the classic idea of \u200b\u200bprogress was based - orientation for the best future for all living without exception. The conviction in the superiority of the direction of development, according to which the civilization of the West was accomplished, which was dominated for a long period of time, was replaced by disappointment.

Utopic vision

This thinking reflected very idealized ideas about the best society. Under this utopian thinking, it is necessary to believe, the most powerful blow was also applied. The world's world socialist system was becoming the latter from the attempts to implement this type of vision of the world. At the same time, humanity at this stage does not have in stock of projects, "capable of mobilizing collective, universal action, capturing human imagination", which could focus society on a bright future (the ideas of socialism were very effective). Instead, today there are or simple extrapolation of existing trends, or catastrophic prophecies.

Reflections on the future

The development of ideas about the upcoming events is currently in two directions. In the first case, the reacted pessimism is determined, in which the gloomy images of decline, destruction and degeneration are seen. Due to frustration in scientific and technical rationalism, mysticism and irrationalism began to spread. The reason and logic in one or another sphere are increasingly opposed to emotions, intuition, subconscious perception. According to the statements of radical postmodern theories, reliable criteria disappeared in modern culture, for which the myth was distinguished from reality, ugly from the beautiful, virtue from the vice. All this indicates that the era of "Higher Freedom" began from morality, traditions, progress, in the end. In the second direction, active searches for new development concepts are viewed, able to give people positive guidelines for the upcoming periods, save humanity from unreasonable illusions. Postmodern ideas were mainly rejected by the theory of development in the traditional version with finalism, fatalism and determinism. Most of them chose other examples of progress - other probabilistic approaches to the development of society and culture. Some theorists (Buckley, Archer, Etzi, Walleretine, Nisbet) in their concepts treat the idea as a possible chance of an improved occurrence, which can occur with a certain share of the likelihood, and may be unnoticed.

The principle of constructivism

Of all the variety of approaches, this concept served as theoretical foundation for postmodernism. The challenge is that in the daily normal vital activity of people to find driving forces of progress. According to K. Lesha, the decision of the riddles is ensured by the fact that exceptionally, improvements can occur. Otherwise, the task is simply insoluble.

Alternative concepts

All of them arising in the framework of the theory of activity are very abstract. Alternative concepts appeal to the "man as a whole", without showing special interest in cultural and civilizational differences. In this case, in essence, a new type of public utopia is visible. It is a cybernetic modeling of the social cultures of the ideal order viewing through the prism of human activity. These concepts return positive guidelines, a certain faith in likely progressive development. Moreover, they call (albeit at the high-quality level) sources and growth conditions. Meanwhile, alternative concepts are not responding to the main question: why humanity, "free from" and "free for", in some cases chooses progress and strives for "new, active society", but the decadence and destruction of it is often the guidelines for him that In turn, leads to stagnation and regress. If they are based on it can hardly be argued that society needs progress. This is explained by the fact that it is impossible to prove whether humanity will want to implement their creative ability in the future. There are no answers to these issues in cybernetics and systemic theory. However, their religion and culture disassembled in detail. In this regard, as an alternative to constructivist modernism in the theory of progress, sociocultural ethical centers may be performed today.

Finally

Modern Russian philosophers are increasingly returning to the "silver century". Turning to this heritage, they are trying to again hear the identity of rhythms of national culture, translate them to a scientific strict language. According to Panarin, the biomorphic structure of knowledge shows a man image of space as a living, organic integrity. Its space wakes up the Motivation of the highest order, incompatible with irresponsible consumer egoism. Today it is clearly clear that modern social science requires a serious revision of the existing basic principles, priorities and values. She can tell a person new directions, if he, in turn, will find it in itself enough to use them.

Public progress is a global historical process of the development of society from the lowest to the highest, from a primitive, wild state to the highest, civilized. This process is due to the development of scientific and technical, social and political, moral and cultural achievements.

For the first time, the theory of progress was described by the famous French publicist Abbot Saint-Pierre in his book "Comments on the continuous progress of the Universal Mind" in 1737. According to his theory, progress is laid by God in every person and this process is inevitable as natural phenomena. In the future, the study of progress as a social phenomenon continued and deepened.

Progress criteria are the main parameters of its characteristics:

Social;
economic;
spiritual;
Scientific and technical.

Social criteria is a level of social development. It implies the level of freedoms of people, quality of life, the degree of difference between the rich and poor, the presence of the middle class, etc. The main engines of social development are revolutions and reforms. That is, a radical complete change in all layers of social life and gradually change it, transformation. Different political schools are evaluated by these engines in different ways. For example, everyone knows that Lenin preferred a revolution.

Economic criteria is an increase in GDP, trade and banking, and other parameters of economic development. The economic criterion is the most important, as it affects the rest. It is difficult to think about creativity or spiritual self-education when there is nothing.

The spiritual criterion is moral development - one of the most controversial, as the various models of society are evaluated in different ways. For example, unlike European countries, Arab does not consider tolerance to sexual minorities with spiritual progress, and even on the contrary - regress. However, there are generally accepted parameters for which one can judge spiritual progress. For example, condemnation of murders and violence is characteristic of all modern states.

Scientific and technical criterion is the presence of new products, scientific discoveries, inventions, advanced technologies, in short - innovation. Most often under progress implies this criterion in the first place.

The concept of progress is criticized since the XIX century. A number of philosophers, historians denied progress as a social phenomenon completely. J. Viko considers the history of society as cyclical development with ups and downs. A. Toynby as an example leads the story of various civilizations, in each of which there are phases of emergence, growth, decline and decomposition (Maya, Roman Empire, etc.).

In my opinion, these disputes are associated with a different understanding of the very definition of progress as such, as well as with a different understanding of its social significance.

Nevertheless, without public progress, we would not have society in its modern form with its achievements and the businesses.

Public progress criteria

It is very important to understand, in which direction our society is moving, continuously changing and developing. This objective is devoted to this article. We will try to identify the criteria of public progress and answer a number of other issues. First of all, we will deal with what progress and regression are.

Public Progress is such a direction of development, which is characterized by a progressive movement from the simple and lower forms of the Company's organization to more complex, higher. The opposite of this term is the concept of "regress", that is, the return movement is a refund to the suspended relations and structures, degradation, the development of development from higher to the lower.

The problem of the criteria of public progress has long been worried about thinkers. The idea that changes in society are precisely a progressive process, it appeared during the times of antiquity, but finally developed in the works of M. Condorce, A. Turgo and others. French enlighteners. These thinkers have seen the criteria for public progress in the development of the mind, the spread of enlightenment. Such an optimistic look at the historical process in the 19th century was replaced by other, more complex concepts. For example, Marxism sees progress in changing socio-economic formations from lower to higher. Some thinkers believed that the consequence of the forward movement was the increase in the heterogeneity of society, the complication of its structure.

In modern science, historical progress is usually associated with such a process as modernization, that is, the transition of society from agricultural to the industrial and further to the post-industrial.

Not everyone accepts the idea of \u200b\u200bprogress. Some thinkers reject it in relation to public development - either predicting the "End of History", or speaking that societies are developing independently of each other, Molneino, in parallel (O. Spengler, N.Ya. Danilevsky, A. Tynby), or considering The story as a cycle with a series of recession and lifts (J. Vico).

For example, Arthur Tynby allocated 21 civilization, each of which distinguishes certain phases of the formation: the occurrence, growth, dorm, decline and, finally, decomposition. Thus, he refused the thesis on the unity of the historical process.

O. Spengler wrote about "sunset of Europe". "Antiprogressism" especially in the works of K. Popper. In his presentation, progress is a movement to a specific purpose, which is possible only for a particular person, but not in general for history. The latter can be considered as a movement forward, and as regression.

Progressive development of society, obviously, in certain periods does not exclude recovery, return movements, civilization deadlocks, even disruptions. Yes, and it is hardly possible to talk about unequivocally straightforward development of humanity, because there is clearly and jerks ahead, and kickbacks. Progress in a certain sphere, in addition, may be the cause of the decline, regression to another. Thus, the development of technology, technologies, tools of labor - a bright testimony of progress in the economy, but it was it that put our world on the line of a global environmental catastrophe, exhausting the natural reserves of the Earth.

Society today is also accused of crisis of the family, the decline of morality, confusion. The price of progress is high: for example, the convenience of urban life is accompanied by various "urbanization diseases". Sometimes the negative effects of progress are so obvious that a natural question arises about whether it is possible to say that humanity moves forward.

Public progress criteria

The question of the merils of social development is relevant. There is also no consent in the scholar of the world. French enlighteners have seen such a criterion in the development of the mind, in increasing the degree of intelligence of the public organization. Some other thinkers and scientists (for example, A. Saint-Simon) believed that the highest criterion of public progress is the state of morality in society, approaching early Christian ideals.

Other opinions adhered to G. Hegel. He connected progress with freedom - the degree of her awareness of people. Marxism also proposed its development criterion: according to supporters of this concept, it consists of growing productive forces.

K. Marx, seeing the essence of development in increasingly subordinate to the person of nature, has reduced progress in general to more private - in the production sector. In conducive development, he considered only those social relations that at this stage correspond to the level of productive forces, as well as open space to improve the person himself (acting as an instrument of production).

Public Development Criteria

Criteria for public progress Philosophy has subjected to careful analysis and revision. In modern social science, the applicability of many of them is disputed. The state of the economic basis does not determine the nature of the development of other spheres of social life.

The purpose, and not just a means of public progress, it is considered to create the necessary conditions for the harmonious and comprehensive development of the person. Consequently, the criterion of public progress is precisely the measure of freedom, which is able to provide a society to a person for maximum disclosure of its potential opportunities. According to the conditions created in society, the progressiveness of this system, the criteria of public progress should be assessed to satisfy the entire combination of the needs of the personality and its free development.

The revolution is a comprehensive or complete change in the majority or all aspects of society, affecting the foundations of an existing structure. More recently, she was regarded as a universal universal "transition law" from one social and economic formation to another. However, scientists could not detect certain signs of the social revolution in the transition to the classroom from the primitive community. Therefore, it was necessary to expand the concept so that it could be applied to any transition between the formations, but this led to the destruction of the initial semantic filling of the term. And the mechanism of the real revolution could be found only in phenomena belonging to the era of the new time (that is, when moving to capitalism from feudalism).

Following the Marxist methodology, it can be said that under the social revolution means a fundamental public coup, changing the structure of society and meaning a qualitative leap in progressive development. The very deep and more reason for the occurrence of the social revolution is unresolved in other ways the conflict between the productive forces, which grow, and the system of social institutions and relations that remain unchanged. The exacerbation of this background of political, economic and other contradictions in society, in the end, leads to a revolution.

The latter is always an active political action by the people, its main goal, it puts the transition to the publication of society in the hands of a new social class. The difference of the revolution from evolution is that the first is considered concentrated in time, that is, the masses become directly, and its direct participants becomes directly participants.

A dialectic of concepts such as revolution and reform appears very complex. The first, as a deeper effect, most often absorbs the latter, thus, the action "bottom" is complemented by the activity of "top".

Many modern scientists call us to abandon excessive exaggeration in the history of the importance of the social revolution, on the idea that it is an inevitable pattern in solving historical tasks, because it was not always the dominant form determining public progress. Much more often, changes in the life of the society occurred as a result of the action "top", that is, reforms.

This is a reorganization, transformation, a change in the Side of public life, which does not destroy the existing foundations of the social structure, retains power in the hands of the ruling class. Thus, an understood path of stepwise conversion of relations is opposed to the revolution, to the base of the extraction of the old system and order. Marxism regarded the evolutionary process, for a long time preserving the remnants of the past, as too painful and unacceptable for the people. The adherents of this concept believed that since reforms were carried out exclusively to "top" by the forces with the authorities and not want to part with it, their result will always be lower than expected: for transformations, inconsistency and halfness are characteristic.

She was explained by the famous provision formulated by V.I. Lenin, - that reforms are a "by-product of the revolution." We note: already K. Marx believed that reforms are never a consequence of the weakness of strong, since they are caused to life for the power of weak.

His Russian follower strengthened the dedication of the possibility of presence from the "tops" of its own incentives at the beginning of the transformation. IN AND. Lenin believed that reforms are a by-product of the revolution, because they are unsuccessful attempts to seduce, weaken the revolutionary struggle. Even in cases where the reforms were obviously not the result of the speeches of the masses, the Soviet historians still explained their aspiration of the authorities to prevent encroachments on the existing system.

Over time, Russian scientists have gradually freed from the existing nihilism in relation to transformations by evolution, initially recognizing the equivalent to revolutions and reforms, and then embarrassed with criticism already on the revolution as a bloody, extremely inefficient, abundant costs and leading the path to the inevitable dictatorship. Now the great reforms (that is, the revolution "from above") are considered the same public anomalies as the great revolutions. They are united by the fact that these ways to solve contradictions are opposed to healthy, normal practice of gradual, continuous reform in self-regulating society.

The dilemma "Reform Revolution" is replaced by clarifying the relationship between reform and permanent regulation. In this context and the revolution, and the changes "top" are "treated" the neglected disease (the first - "surgical intervention", the second - "therapeutic methods"), whereas it is necessary, possibly early and constant prevention in order to ensure public progress.

Therefore, in the social studies today, the emphasis shifts with the Antinomy "Revolution-Reform" on "Innovation-Reform". The innovation implies a single ordinary improvement associated with an increase in the adaptive capabilities of society in specific conditions. It is she who can provide the greatest social progress in the future.

The criteria of public progress, considered above, are not unconditional. Modern science recognizes the priority of humanitarian over others. However, the overall criterion of public progress has not yet been established.

Public Development and Public Progress

Public progress is an ascent, progressive development of humanity.

The very idea of \u200b\u200bprogress appeared only in the XVII century with the development of science and technology. Developing, she attracted attention to various sides of public existence. The philosophers of the XVIII century, which entered the story as a century of enlightenment, believed in the unlimited power of science and technology. Today, progress is understood as the development of all sides of human life.

How to determine whether the development of society is progressively on a particular historical segment? What are the criteria for public progress? Is the society always develops along the path of progress or there is a regression, i.e. Move back, in the opposite direction? These questions are complex and answers are ambiguous.

In ancient society, the idea of \u200b\u200bdevelopment was understood as a simple sequence of events or as a cyclic cycle of repeated events. In the Middle Ages, a different version of the development appears in religion, which is simplified as possible: "From the kingdom of the earth to the kingdom of heaven." In the ideology of Marxism, dominated in our country, the idea of \u200b\u200bprogress was considered as an increase in labor productivity, an increase in the material standard of living of people, the comprehensive development of the human personality. At the end of the 20th century, with the advent of the global problems of society, with the growing crisis of culture, with an increase in instability in the world, the criteria of progress are changed. The question arises: as the development of science and technology develops whether a person develops? Does he become kinder, moral, happier? Currently, the concept of progress is associated with the development of a person, with the creation of decent conditions for his life.

In modern society, humanism becomes the main criterion of progress. Humanism - (human lat) philosophical, moral and sociological, principle of attitude towards man as a higher value. The idea of \u200b\u200bhumanism has changed to various epochs.

Initially, the ideas about humanism were expressed in the understanding of the value of human life as such, in its historical sense.

Already in primitive society there were prohibitions relating to various encroachments on the life and dignity of a person. In the Middle Ages, in addition to the laws, the relationship of people regulated religion. The new covenant as a monument of Christianity reflects the main idea - love of neighbor, and the circle of nearby is very wide, right up to repentant enemies.

Social Development Concepts

There are many views (concepts) on the development of society, which are combined into three large groups:

Concept of one-line development. Representatives of this group believe that the story is one and all nations go to one goal, only at different times. Each person pursuing his personal interests, thereby working on society, since the overall result is composed of each results. Developing linearly, society does not stand still. The growth of human needs - material, social and spiritual leads to the development of science and technology, complication of production, improving the living standards, the development of social relations and the person himself.

Currently, the theory is considered the most acceptable, according to which each society takes place the following stages of single-line progressive development:

The traditional society is the pre-industrial stage of historical development, covers the period from the origin of mankind to capitalism. In such a society, rural natural economy is dominated, class relationships. A decisive role in such a society is played by tradition. The church and army play a decisive role in the social life of such a society.

Industrial society. The following features are characteristic of the industrial stage of development of society:

- high level of industrial development;
- automation of production;
- Significant raising life level.

Post-industrial (informational) society. Post-industrial society is a special social form that is born during the evolution and transformation of industrial society.

It is characterized by the following signs:

- the creation of the services economy;
- the predominance of technical specialists and persons of free professions;
- a huge role of theoretical knowledge as a source of innovations;
- Creation of new, intellectual techniques.

Concept of multi-cable development. Supporters of this direction believe that society is developing in its laws, and each people have their own way of development. Every people have their own cultural features, and not necessarily all nations to look for a single path of development.

Cyclical development concept. The cycle is a combination of phenomena, the processes constituting the circulation over a certain period of time.

Supporters of this direction believe that there are no uniform history in humanity, peoples develop from themselves according to the laws inherent in the nature of people. After passing the cycle, civilization takes a decline, and then, in a few centuries, revived again without any continuity with the previous one.

Social public progress

Progress cannot be localized in one sphere of social life and inevitably affects various sides of social existence, although historians and sociologists sometimes allocate economic, political, cultural progress.

The result of progress is positive changes in the life of society, but the development in one of the spheres of life may damage in another field. For example, the development of production technologies, the scientific and technical revolution - the results of economic and cultural progress, but they deplete natural resources and create a threat to global environmental disasters.

At the present stage of the development of society, its humanistic parameters and characteristics are becoming the main criteria: the average life expectancy, the mortality rate, the health of the population, the observance of the rights and freedoms of the individual, the development of culture and education, the creation of conditions for the implementation of human abilities, the degree of its material and moral comfort .

The concept of progress is the opposite of the concept of "regression". Regress is a degradation of social life, return to obsolete structures and relations, which entails negative changes in society.

Social development can be suspended, linger. This state of society is called stagnation.

Types and forms of social progress

Social progress can be gradual (evolutionary, reformist) or hopping (revolutionary).

The revolution is a complete change in the meaningful parties to social life, affecting the foundations of the existing social system, the transition of society into a qualitatively different state. The reform is a change in any sphere of public life, a partial improvement that does not destroy the foundations of the existing social structure and leaving the power in the hands of the former ruling class. Reform - the evolutionary path of the development of society. Evolution, in contrast to the revolution, implies slow, gradual changes in the preceding state. The reforms in their essence can be progressive and regressive and do not always lead to positive changes in society.

An ordinary, one-time improvement in any side of social life associated with an increase in the adaptive opportunities of the social organism is called innovation.

Society as a dynamic system

Society is a dynamic self-developing system. In the course of history, social institutions, production technologies, value installations, behavior standards and lifestyle of people are changing.

In the center of social development is a person (in contrast to nature, in which natural unconscious forces act). However, the complex structure of society, the presence of a variety of subsystems and components, opposite interests and purposes of various people and groups determine the unpredictability, nonlinearity of social changes. Therefore, at each historical stage there are various development options and the model of the future for this human community.

If we consider the level of development of production and improvement of technologies to the main criterion for the development of society, it should be noted that in the history of mankind, a tendency towards accelerating social changes is clearly manifested. Each subsequent stage of historical development is shorter than the previous one.

At the same time, many sides of public life, fundamental social institutions, retain their meaning, although their forms change significantly. For millennia, there are institutions such as production, family, state, religion. In the rapidly changing modern world, they retain their meaning.

The main concepts of social development

Protective changes in human society cannot be localized in one sphere of public life, they inevitably affect the material and the spiritual life of people. The development of productive forces, moral culture, science, rights - all these criteria for social development.

This development is uneven throughout the history of mankind and may be the result of both revolutionary and evolutionary changes in various fields. There are several ways to classify societies. It is possible to typeologize societies on such signs, as a language, the presence or absence of writing, economy and lifestyle. The complication of social structure, the growth of labor productivity, the type of economic and economic relations, the system of value installations can be taken as criteria for the development of society.

The main theories of social development: the concept of three waves (E. Toffler), the concept of post-industrial society (D. Bell), formation approach (K. Marx) and a civilizational approach (A. Tynby, O. Spengler, W. Rosto).

The concept of three waves of Alvina Toffler

E. Toffler formulated the idea of \u200b\u200breplacing each other waves - stages of social development. The first stage is an agricultural society, the basis of its existence - agriculture and ownership of land. The second stage is an industrial society that established as a result of the scientific and technical revolution, urbanization and assertion of the market economy. The third wave is a post-industrial society formed by the intellectual revolution. In the post-industrial society, science turns into direct productive strength, the production of goods and services becomes massive, and the accumulation and dissemination of knowledge is put forward to the fore.

The concept of post-industrial society Daniel Bella

The scientist highlighted three stages of the Company's development:

1) pre-industrial (traditional) society based on the use of primitive labor instruments);
2) industrial society with developed industry;
3) A post-industrial society in which knowledge is becoming knowledge (this development stage can also be characterized as an informational society, the essential feature of which is the emergence of a global information space).

Traditional Society

According to the concept of D. Bella, the stage of traditional society includes the history of mankind from ancient civilizations to the 17th century.

In the economy of traditional society, rural natural economy and primitive craft are dominated. The person adapted to the environment, using extensive technology and hand tools. For traditional society, a communal, corporate, conditional, state-owned ownership is characteristic.

The structure of the social sphere of traditional society is stable and stationary, social mobility is practically absent, throughout life a person remains within the same social group. Community and family are the most significant cells of society. The social behavior of a person is subordinate to sustainable corporate standards, traditions, customs and beliefs.

In politically, the traditional society conservatively, changes in it occur slowly, society dictates the identity of the norm of behavior.

Oral tradition is of great importance, literacy is a rare phenomenon.

Industrial Society

The industrial society existed and developed throughout the 17-20 centuries. The economy of the industrial society is based on the use of machinery in production. Also, for the economic sphere, at this stage of development, an increase in the volume of fixed capital, the destruction of natural closetness and increased labor productivity in agriculture, replacing the simple reproduction of expanded, emergence and development of a market economy. A person becomes more independent of nature and actively uses in the production of achieving scientific and technological progress.

For public life, significant social mobility of the population is characterized, urbanization, reduction in the number of peasantry, the appearance of bourgeoisie and gradually strengthening its position against the background of the decline of the aristocracy.

In the political sphere, the role of the state, law and law increases, the person is increasingly involved in political life as an active subject, a democratic regime is gradually formed.

There is a significant transformation of the value system: the role of personality is increasing, independence of the individual within the social group. Consciousness of man becomes secular, rational, partially exempted from the influence of religion.

Information (post-industrial) society

Information, or post-industrial society formed at the turn of the 20-21 centuries as a result of the revolution in the organization and processing of knowledge accumulated by humanity.

The value of the service sector increases in the economy, the individualization of production and consumption occurs, small-scale production develops. The industry increases the role of resource-saving, energy-saving, high-tech technologies. Communication system develops, computerization and informatization of different spheres of society occurs. As a result of these changes, a global information space arises, which ensures efficient and coordinated interaction of people around the world, their access to accumulated knowledge and universal experience. Science and information play an increasing role in the spiritual sphere of public life.

In the social structure, there is a rapprochement of different layers and groups of the population, class differences are erased, the gap in the amount of income is reduced, the proportion of the middle class is growing.

Formation approach

Carl Marx and Friedrich Engels are the authors of the formation approach that dominated the Soviet science during the entire period of its existence. The formational approach assigns a decisive role in the development of society to material production and the dominant type of production relations.

Theory of socio-economic formations

According to the theory of socio-economic formations, the development of society is determined by its economic sphere, relations in the process of material production. Social development is subject to objective laws that are universal in nature: as production relations improves, society moves to the highest forms of its existence. The story in the light of the formation approach appears as a published, internally determined, progressive and progressive process. Social Development Laws are united for all countries and peoples, national specifics and peculiarities of historical processes have no significant value.

The basic concept of a formation approach is a socio-economic formation. This term denotes a certain stage of historical development with the production method inherent in it, the type of economy and socio-political system.

The formational approach allocates five socio-economic formations of human society: primitive, slave-owned, feudal, capitalist and communist.

The formational approach to the history of society justifies the inevitability of the transition from one socio-economic formation to another. The driving force of social development is the gradual improvement of the productive forces, which entails the need to change production relations.

Productive forces are a means of production and people who have productive experience, skills to work.

Production relations - relations in which people enter into the process of material production.

Economy - Basis, the basis of society, which is a combination of productive forces and production relations. The economic basis determines the nature of the socio-political superstructure, which includes power and ideological relations and views (state, law, politics, philosophy, religion, morality, culture).

In public development, folk masses play a decisive role that contribute to the establishment of a new socio-economic system during revolutions.

Civilization approach

The authors of the civilization approach (A. Tynby, O. Shpengler, W. Rosto) proceeded from the idea that the historical path of each civilization is unique, and progress is relative and depends not only on material factors, but also from the system of values \u200b\u200band worldviews that dominate In a particular society.

The authors understood the civilization as a certain step of historical development, the character of which is determined not only by the material production, but also a spiritual, cultural, social life. The unique appearance of each civilization is formed by a lifestyle specific person, a system of values, cultural traditions, ways of interconnection with the outside world.

The civilizational approach is based on the idea of \u200b\u200bmultivariates of social development, which takes a variety of forms, depending on the specific conditions of the existence of different countries and peoples.

As part of this theory, there are two approaches.

The stage approach suggests that various peoples and cultures in their development are held certain stages of civilization.

From the point of view of the local approach, civilization is a stable socio-cultural community that exists for a long time in certain spatial boundaries and implements a specific, unique path of historical development.

Disability of public progress

Contribancy of public progress:

Positive and negative consequences of progress	Examples
Progress in some regions can lead to stagnation in others.	A vivid example is a period of Stalinism in the USSR. In the 30s, the course of industrialization was taken, the pace of development of industry increased dramatically. However, the social sphere developed a weakly, the light industry worked on the residual principle. As a result, a significant deterioration in the quality of life of people.
The fruits of scientific progress can be used both for the benefit and in harm to people.	Development of information systems, the Internet is the greatest achievement of mankind, which opens up the broad opportunities. However, simultaneously there is a computer dependence, man's departure in the virtual world, a new disease appeared - "Game Computer Dependence".
Progress to achieve today can lead to negative consequences in the future.	An example is the development of virgin lands in the rule of N. Khrushchev. At first, a rich harvest was really received, but after a time of soil erosion appeared.
The progress of the water country does not always lead to progress in another.	Recall the state of the Golden Horde. This at the beginning of the 13th century was a huge empire, with a numerous army, advanced military equipment. However, progressive phenomena in this state became a disaster for many countries, including for Russia, which is more than two hundred years under the IGA Horde.

Summing up, I would like to note that humanity is characterized by the desire to go ahead, opening new and new opportunities. However, it is necessary to remember, and scientists first of all, what are the consequences of such a progressive movement, whether it will be wrapped by a catastrophe for people. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the negative consequences of progress.

Regression

The opposite progress by social development is regressing (from Lat. Regressus, that is, the movement in the opposite direction, returning back) - movement from more perfect to less perfect, from more higher forms of development to the lower, movement back, changes to the worst.

Signs of regression in society:

Deterioration in the quality of people's life.
Decay in the economy, crisis phenomena.
The increase in human mortality, a decrease in the average living standards.
Detection of the demographic situation, decline in fertility.
The increase in the incidence of people, epidemic, a large percentage of the population having.

Chronic diseases:

The fall in morality, education, culture of society as a whole.
Solving issues by force, declarative methods and methods.
Reducing freedom in society, its violent suppression.
Weakening the country as a whole and its international situation.

The solution to the problems associated with the regressive processes of society is one of the tasks of the government, the leadership of the country. In a democratic state, coming about the path of civil society, which is Russia, I have great importance to public organizations, the opinion of the people. Problems need to be addressed and deciding together - the authorities and the people.

Problem of public progress

One of the central social philosophy is the issue of public progress. It is closely related to the main issues of the history of society, as the causes and driving forces of social development, the prospects of humanity, the fate of various socio-economic systems, states, classes, parties. Getting Started by the consideration of this issue, it is necessary to understand, first of all, the concept of "progress", distinguishing him from the concepts of "movement" and "development".

As you know, the concept of "movement" means in philosophy any change, including reversible and chaotic, i.e. no setting. Development is the process of irreversible changes that goes on the helix. The direction of such changes is the ascending or downward line. Progress is a progressive movement along the ascending line of the spiral, from simple to complex. The word "progress" itself of Latin origin, it means moving forward, success. The opposite of the content of the form is the concept of regression, meaning the movement on the downlink from the higher to the lower, decline, degradation.

If you compare two concepts "development" and "progress", the first will be much wider. As Hegel wrote - the development is the struggle of opposites. These opposites are in this case progress and regression. Public Being is the material side of society: the production, distribution and the relationship in which people enter the production process besides their will and desire.

The idea of \u200b\u200bhistorical progress appeared in the second half of the XVIII century. In connection with the objective processes of the formation and development of capitalism. The creators of his initial concepts were A.R.Z. Turgo and J.A. Condorse, who offered his rationalistic theory. Subsequently, the deep interpretation of progress gave G. Hegel. He tried to show the story as a single natural process of development from the lowest to the highest, in which each historical era acts as a mandatory step in the ascending movement of mankind. His concept was an idealistic, interpreted world history as progress in the consciousness of freedom, movement from one spiritual formation to another.

K. Marx and his followers, based on the materialistic understanding of the story, have associated public progress with the development of material production, with the movement of society from one social and economic formation to another. In accordance with this position, public progress is defined as such a change and development of socio-economic structures of society, in which conditions are created for the successful development of productive forces and on their basis for increasingly complete human development, to increase the welfare of the people.

Based on such an understanding of progress, the question of its criteria is solved. This is, above all, the level of development of productive forces, productivity of public labor. And since the main prerequisite, the condition of the manifestation of this criterion acts production relations, then they also become an important indicator of progress. Both, and the other, in turn, receives a final expression to the degree, dependent man as a person.

However, in assessing the progressiveness or regression of one or another public, it is far enough to interpret it with a narrow, technocratic point of view. Here you need to take into account a number of circumstances. First, the level of development of productive forces may be highly high, but the situation is possible when the product is barely enough for the cost of its production. That is, an excess of products above the costs of their production is the actual basis of all production - may be benchers, scarce with the highest material and technical base. Secondly, the excess can be quite large. But from it you need to be able to form and accumulate a public, production and reserve fund, and not to construct it, not "drink - stroll", not to dilute without any public benefit, not to turn into a monstrous weapon of self-destruction.

It follows that when evaluating the degree of progressiveness of one or another social building, it is far from reference only on the development of productive forces. It is necessary to take into account the social consequences of their development: in the name of which they develop, as it is reflected in the human life - the most important element of the productive forces. That is why "the development of the productive forces of mankind" should mean first of all "the development of the wealth of human nature as an endlower" (K. Marx). The progressive is the socio-economic formation that more meets the goals of humanism, contributes to the elevation of a truly human in man. The true criterion of achievements, the success of any society is not so much the production of goods as the moral appearance and the lifestyle of people, their spiritual world. Progressive is the social - economic formation that contributes to the elevation of man.

Along with the concepts that recognize public progress there are many opposite related to its denial. Among the Nihilists - F. Nietzsche, O. Spengler, K. Popper, F. Fukuyam, etc. They proceed from the fact that the amount of evil in the world does not decrease, the life of people in the end does not improve, only "changes" occurs in society , there are only eternal cycles, etc. Approval and development of the idea of \u200b\u200bprogress is therefore in constant fight against "nihilistic" and other views, due to defending such a dialectical understanding of history, which implies its inconsistency, the lack of direct, excluding zigzags and regressive, refractory Movement, lines of ascent to the best and perfect, accounting for new socio-economic realities.

Examples of public progress

Public progress is the development of society from the lowest (simple, imperfect) to the highest (complex, perfect).

1. The transition from the primitive-communal system (generic community) to the class society and the creation of the state on this base.

Specifically - almost all nations. The earliest states in the history of mankind. - Sumer, Babylon, Egypt.

2. The coming to replace the feudalism of bourgeois relations.

Specifically, the Great French Revolution, reforms in Russia of the 60-70s of the 19th century, including the abolition of serfdom.

3. Public Progress Now is the development of societies to mixed (socialist-capitalist) formations, solidarist civilization, to post-industrial type.

Progressive development of society Obviously: Recall the primitive ideas about hygiene among medieval society, how many thousands of people should have died before society realized the need for hygiene. Recall how low the productivity was low due to primitive guns, as a low-value was human life and freedom. All these examples certainly confirm the progressive development of society.

Man and public progress

Progress in the general sense is the development of the lowest to the highest, from less perfect to more perfect, from simple to complex.

Public progress is the gradual cultural and social development of humanity. The idea of \u200b\u200bthe progress of human society began to form in philosophy from ancient times and relied on the facts of the mental movement of a person ahead, which was expressed in the constant acquisition and accumulation of new knowledge by the person, allowing him to increasingly lower his dependence on nature.

Thus, the idea of \u200b\u200bpublic progress originated in philosophy on the basis of objective observations of socio-cultural transformations of human society.

Since philosophy considers the world as a whole, then ethical aspects of the objective facts of socio-cultural progress, it came to the conclusion that the development and improvement of human morality is not the same unequivocal and indisputable fact as the development of knowledge, common culture, science, medicine , social guarantees of society, etc.

However, taking, in general, the idea of \u200b\u200bpublic progress, that is, the idea that humanity is still coming forward in its development in all the main components of its being, and in the moral sense, too, philosophy, thereby, Expresses its position of historical optimism and faith in man.

However, at the same time, there is no single theory of public progress in philosophy, since various philosophical flows understand the content of progress, and its causal mechanism, and in general, progress criteria as the fact of history.

The main groups of public progress theories can be classified as follows:

1. Theories of natural progress. This group of theories declares the natural progress of humanity, which is due to itself in natural circumstances.

The main factor of progress here is considered the natural ability of the human mind to increase and accumulate the amount of knowledge about nature and society. In these teachings, the human mind is endowed with unlimited power and, accordingly, progress is considered to be the phenomenon historically infinite and non-stop.

2. Dialectic concepts of public progress. These teachings believe the progress by the phenomenon internally natural for society inherent in organically.

In them, progress performs the form and the purpose of the very existence of human society, and the dialectical concepts themselves are divided into idealistic and materialistic:

- the idealistic dialectical concepts of social progress come closer with theories about the natural progress progress in the fact that the principle of progress with the principle of thinking (absolute, higher intelligence, absolute idea, etc.) is associated;
- The materialistic concepts of social progress (Marxism) associate progress with the internal laws of socio-economic processes in society.

3. Evolutionary theories of public progress.

These theories have developed in attempts to bring the idea of \u200b\u200bprogress strictly scientific support. The initial principle of these theories is the idea of \u200b\u200bthe evolutionary nature of progress, that is, in the human history, some permanent facthods of the complication of cultural and social reality, which should be considered strictly as scientific facts - only with the outside of their indisputably observed phenomena, without giving any positive or negative ratings.

The ideal of an evolutionary approach is the system of natural science knowledge, where scientific facts are collected, but they do not provide any ethical or emotional estimates.

As a result, this naturally scientific method of analyzing social progress, evolutionary theories allocate two parties to the historical development of society as scientific facts:

- gradualness;
- The presence of natural causal patterns in the processes.

Thus, the evolutionary approach to the idea of \u200b\u200bprogress recognizes the presence of some laws for the development of society, which, however, do not determine anything, except for the process of spontaneous and inexorable complication of the forms of social relations, which is accompanied by the effects of intensification, differentiation, integration, functional reconciliation, etc. .

The entire variety of philosophical teachings about the progress is generated by their discrepancies in explaining the main issue - why the development of society is committed precisely in the progressive direction, and not in all other possibilities: a circular motion, lack of development, cyclical "progress regress" development, plane development without quality growth, Regressive movement, etc. All these development options are equally possible for human society, along with a progressive development type, and so far, there are no progressive development in human history in human history, the philosophy has not been put forward.

In addition, the very concept of progress, if you apply it not to external indicators of human society, but to the inner state of a person, becomes even more controversial, since it is impossible to assert with historical accuracy that a person in the more developed socio-cultural stages of society becomes happier in personal plan . In this sense, it is impossible to talk about progress on progress as a factor that is generally improving a person's life. This also applies to past history (it is impossible to argue that the ancient Ellians were less happy than the inhabitants of Europe in a new time, or that the population of Sumer was less satisfied with the progress of personal life than the current Americans, etc.), and with a special force Inherent in the modern stage of the development of human society.

The current public progress gave rise to many factors that, on the contrary, complicate the life of a person, suppress it mentally and even threaten its existence. Many of the achievements of modern civilization begin to fit worse and worse into the psychophysiological capabilities of a person. From here there are such factors of modern human life, as a surplus of stressful situations, nervous psychic injuries, fear of life, loneliness, apathy for spirituality, oversaturation by unnecessary information, shift of life values \u200b\u200bfor primitivism, pessimism, moral indifference, the overall supervision of physicome psychological state, Unprecedented level of alcoholism, drug addiction and spiritual oppression of people.

The paradox of modern civilization originated: in everyday life for thousands of years, people did not at all put their conscious goal to provide some public progress, they simply tried to satisfy their immediate needs of both physiological and social properties. Each goal on this path was constantly postponed, since each new level of needs satisfying immediately was assessed as insufficient, and was replaced by a new goal. Thus, progress was always largely predetermined by the biological and social nature of the person, and in the meaning of this process he had to bring the moment when the surrounding life becomes optimal for a person in terms of its biological and social nature. But instead, a moment came when the level of development of society revealed a psychophysical underdevelopment of a person for life in those circumstances that he himself created and created.

The man has ceased to comply with its psychophysical opportunities to meet the requirements of modern life, and human progress, at its current stage, has already inflicted the global psychophysical injury to humanity and continues to develop according to the same main directions.

In addition, the current scientific and technological progress gave rise to an environmentally crisis situation of the modern world, the character of which allows us to talk about the threat of the very existence of a person on the planet. When maintaining the current trends towards an increase in the faith in its resources of the planet, the following generations of humanity have already achieved the limits of a demographic and economic plank, which will come the collapse of human civilization.

The current situation with the environment and the human neuropsychiatric injury has stimulated the discussion of the problem of both the progress itself and the problems of its criteria. At present, according to the understanding of these problems, the concept of a new reflection of culture arises, which requires to understand it not as a simple amount of achievements of humanity in all areas of life, but as a phenomenon designed to purposefully serve the person and favors all aspects of his life.

Thus, the question of the need to humanize culture is solved, that is, the priority of man and his life in all estimates of the cultural state of society.

In the canvas of these discussions, the problem of public progress criteria naturally arises, since, as historical practice has shown, the consideration of public progress is simply not to improve the social and cultural circumstances of life to solve the main issue - is positive or not in its total for humanity Process of his social development?

Positive criteria for public progress today are recognized:

1. Economic criterion.

The development of society from the economic side should be accompanied by an increase in the standard of living of a person, the elimination of poverty, the exception of hunger, mass epidemics, high social woars in old age, disease, disability, etc.

2. The level of humanization of society.

In society should grow:

The degree of different freedoms, the overall security of a person, the level of access to education, to material benefits, the possibility of meeting spiritual needs, compliance with his rights, resting opportunities, etc., and decrease;
- The influence of the circumstances of the lifestyle on the psychophysical human health, the degree of human subordination rhythm of production life.

A summary indicator of these social factors takes the average life expectancy of a person.

3. Progress in the moral and spiritual development of the person.

The society should become more moral, moral norms should be strengthened and improved, and each person must receive more and more time and opportunities for the development of its abilities, for self-education, for creative activities and spiritual work.

Thus, the main criteria for progress have shifted at present from the production and economic, scientific and technical, socio-political factors towards humanism, that is, towards the priority of man and his social destiny.

Consequently, the main sense of culture and the main criterion of progress is the humanism of processes and the results of social development.

Forms of public progress

In the process of cognition, scientists not only state the facts of facts, but also try to give them a scientific explanation.

When studying such facts, it should be remembered that:

A) Any historical fact is an element of objective reality, closely associated with its other elements. Therefore, all historical facts must be considered in their interaction, to identify not only the place of a particular fact in the historical process, but also its influence on the subsequent development of society;
b) The content of a historical fact depends on the level of development of a particular society and is the result of the activities of the subjects of the historical process.

Under the subjects of the historical process, those individuals and their commonality are usually understood, which are directly involved in it. Such entities may be masses, social groups and public associations, individual historical personality.

The folk masses in the most general sense can be called social communities that have developed on a certain territory (usually such is the territory of any country), whose members have a single mentality, culture, traditions and customs and together create material and spiritual values. Folk masses are the most significant subject of the historical process. Most scientists believe that it is the masses that play it defining, and sometimes a decisive role. However, a number of philosophers indicate the need to separate the concepts of "people" and "mass". They emphasize that, in contrast to the people, the mass is a group of people who are not related to each other. Such groups, they say, arise from time to time and in their activities are guided not by reason, but by emotions, and the desire for destruction of them is stronger than the desire for creating.

Another subject of the historical process is social groups and public associations. Social groups can stand out on various features - age, sexual, professional, religious, etc. The most common social groups playing a huge role in the historical process are classes, estates and nations. Each of the social groups has some common features that constitute the social nature of this group. Each groups have their own interests they are trying to defend in the historical process and to protect public associations. Public associations are called voluntary, self-governed formations created on the basis of community interests to achieve any goal, common to all of their members. These include political parties, trade union organizations, social movements.

A large influence on the historical process also has individuals who scientists are called historical figures. First of all, those traditionally consider those who carry out power (monarchs, presidents, etc.). However, in addition to them, great influence on the development of society and its self-consciousness are given great scientists and figures of culture and art. Therefore, depending on the particular historical situation and their contribution to the historical process, they can also be attributed to historical personalities.

Thus, the historical process consists of actions of both individuals who perform important social functions and the actions of the associations of people and the activities of the masses in general.

In addition to solving the issue of participants in the historical process and their role in public development, it is necessary to find out in which direction the society is moving in a state of continuous development and change.

Under progress it is understood as the direction of development for which the progressive movement of society from the lower and simple forms of the public organization to higher and complex is characteristic. The concept of progress is the opposite of the concept of regression, for which the inverse movement is characterized - from the highest to the lower, degradation, return to the already exhaust structures and relations. The idea of \u200b\u200bthe development of society as a progressive process appeared in antiquity, but finally undertaken in the works of French enlighteners (A. Turgo, M. Condorras, etc.). The criterion of progress they saw in the development of the human mind, in the spread of education. Such an optimistic view of the story was replaced in the XIX century. more complex ideas. So, Marxism sees progress in the transition from one socio-economic formation to another, higher. Some sociologists the essence of progress considered the complication of the social structure, the growth of social inhomogeneity. In modern sociology, historical progress is associated with the modernization process, i.e., the transition from agricultural society to the industrial, and then to the post-industrial.

Some thinkers reject the idea of \u200b\u200bprogress in public development, considering history or as a cyclic cycle with a series of climbs and recessions (J. Vico), predicting the imminent "end of history", or claiming the ideas about multine-core, independent of each other, parallel movement of various societies (N ., Danilevsky, O.Shpengler, A. Tynby). So, A. Toynby, refusing the thesis on the unity of the World History, allocated 21 civilization, in the development of each of which he distinguished the phases of appearance, growth, donomas, decline and decomposition. O. Speengler wrote about "sunset of Europe". Especially Japok "Antiprogressism" K. Popper. Understanding the progress to move towards any goal, he considered it possible only for a separate person, but not for history. The latter can be explained as a progressive process, and as regression.

Obviously, the progressive development of society does not exclude return movements, regression, civilization deadlocks and even breakdowns. Yes, and the very development of humanity is unlikely to have a definitely straightforward character, and accelerated jerks are possible, and rollbacks back. Moreover, progress in one sphere of social relations may be accompanied and even to cause regression to another. The development of workers, the technical and technological revolution is a vivid evidence of economic progress, but they put the world on the edge of the environmental catastrophe, the natural resources of the Earth have exhausted. Modern society is accused of deciding morally, in the family crisis, in confusion. The price of progress is high: the convenience of urban life, for example, is accompanied by numerous "urbanization diseases". Sometimes the costs of progress are so great that the question arises, and whether it is possible to talk about the movement of mankind.

In this regard, the question of progress criteria is relevant. There is no consent among scientists here. French enlighteners saw the criterion in the development of the mind, to the degree of public device. A number of thinkers (for example, A. Saint-Simon) were assessed forward by the state of public morality, approaching it to the early Christian ideals. G. Hegel tied progress with the degree of consciousness of freedom. Marxism also proposed a universal progress criterion - the development of productive forces. Seeing the essence of the movement forward in increasingly subordinate to the forces of nature, K. Marx has reduced public development to progress in the manufacturing sphere. He considered progressive only those social relations that corresponded to the level of productive forces, open space for human development (as the main productive force). The applicability of such a criterion is disputed in modern social science. The state of the economic base does not determine the nature of the development of all other spheres of society. The goal, and not the means of any public progress, is to create conditions for the comprehensive and harmonious human development.

Consequently, the criterion of progress should be a measure of freedom, which society is able to provide personalities to maximize its potential opportunities. The degree of progressiveness of a particular public system should be assessed by the conditions created in it to meet all the needs of the person, for the free development of a person (or, as they say, according to the degree of humanity of the public device).

There are two forms of social progress: revolution and reform.

The revolution is a complete or comprehensive change in all or most of the sides of public life affecting the foundations of an existing social system. Until recently, the revolution was considered as a universal "transition law" from one social and economic formation to another. But scientists could not detect the signs of the social revolution in the transition from the primitive-free system to class. It was necessary to expand so expand the concept of revolution so that it was suitable for any formational transition, but this led to the exhaustion of the initial content of the term. The "mechanism" of the actual revolution was able to detect only in the social revolutions of the new time (when moving from feudalism to capitalism).

According to the Marxist methodology, under the social revolution is understood as a radical coup in the life of society, changing its structure and meaning a qualitative leap in its progressive development. The most common, the deep reason for the occurrence of the era of the social revolution is the conflict between the growing productive forces and the current system of social relations and institutions. The exacerbation on this objective soil of economic, political and other contradictions in society leads to the revolution.

The revolution always represents the active political effect of the masses and has the first goal of the transfer of management by society in the hands of a new class. The social revolution differs from evolutionary transformations by the fact that it is concentrated in time and the masses directly act in it.

The dialectic concepts of the "reform-revolution" concepts are very complex. Revolution as an action deeper usually "picks up" to reform: the action "bottom" is complemented by the action "from above".

Today, many scientists call on to abandon the exaggeration of the role in the history of the social phenomenon, which is referred to as the "social revolution", from the declaration of its obligatory pattern in solving the urgent historical tasks, since the revolution is not always the main form of public transformation. Much more often changes in society occurred as a result of reforms.

The reform is a transformation, a reorganization, a change in any side of public life, which does not destroy the foundations of the existing social structure, leaving the power in the hands of the former ruling class. The path to the gradual transformation of existing relationships in this sense is opposed to revolutionary explosions, emitting to the base of old orders, the old system. Marxism considered the evolutionary process, which preserved for a long time many remnants of the past, too painful for the people. And it claimed that since reforms are always conducted by the "top" by the forces already having power and not wanting to part with it, the result of the reforms is always lower than expected: transformations are half and inconsistent.

Disranged attitude to reforms as a form of public progress due to the famous position of V.I. Lenin on reforms as a "by-product of revolutionary struggle." Actually, K. Marx noted that "... social reforms are never caused by the weakness of strong, they must be summoned to the life of the power of" weak ". The denial of the possibility of the presence of incentives from the "top" at the beginning of the transformation strengthened its Russian follower: "... the actual engine of history is the revolutionary struggle of classes; Reforms are a sidewritten result of this struggle, side because they express unsuccessful attempts to weaken, shade this struggle. " Even in cases where the reforms with perfect evidence were not the result of mass performances, the Soviet historians explained the transformation by the desire of dominant classes to prevent any encroachments on the dominant system in the future. The reforms and in these cases were the result of the potential threat of the revolutionary movement of the masses.

Gradually, Russian scientists were freed from traditional nihilism in relation to evolutionary transformations, recognizing the equivalent to the reforms and revolutions initially, and then changed signs, they collapsed with crushing criticism.

Today, great reforms (i.e., revolutions from above) are recognized as the same social anomalies as the great revolutions. Both of these methods of solving public contradictions are opposed to normal, healthy practice of "permanent reform in self-regulating society". The "reform-revolution" dilemma is replaced by clarifying the ratio of permanent regulation and reform. In this context and reform, and the revolution is "treated" the already launched disease (the first - therapeutic methods, the second - surgery), while the continuous and possibly early prevention is needed. Therefore, in modern social studies, the emphasis is transferred from the Antinomy of the Reform-Revolution on the "Reform-Innovation". The innovation is understood as an ordinary, one-time improvement associated with increasing the adaptive capabilities of the social organism under these conditions.

Progress in public life

Studying history, we see how different sides of public life change over time, one type of society is replaced by another.

In society, various changes are constantly occurring. Some of them are carried out before our eyes (choose a new president, they introduce social assistance programs to the family or poor, legislation changes).

Public changes are characterized by their reference, they are like positive (positive changes for the better), they are called progress and negative (negative changes to the worst) - regression.

Public progress - consistent positive changes in society; The process of his climb from one historical stage to another, the development of society from simple to complex, from less developed forms to more developed. Public regression - society of the company back, to the lower stages of development.

Let us turn to the historical example. The Roman Empire has developed progressively for hundreds of years. New buildings were erected, architecture, poetry and theater developed, legislation was improved, new territories were conquered. But in the era of the great resettlement of peoples, barbaric nomadic tribes destroyed the Roman Empire. On the ruins of the ancient palaces, the cattle and the bird, the aqueduct no longer served fresh water in the city. Illiteracy reigned there, where the arts and crafts were flourished. Progress was replaced by regress.

Progress is carried out in different ways and ways. There are gradual and jump-shaped types of public progress. The first is called the reformist, the second - revolutionary.

Reform - partial gradual improvement in any region; Transformation conducted by the legislative way. The revolution is a complete change in all or most of the sides of public life affecting the foundations of an existing social system.

The first revolution in the history of mankind was the so-called Neolithic Revolution, which was a qualitative leap, the transition from assigning farms (hunting and gathering) to producing (farming and cattle breeding). The Neolithic Revolution began 10 thousand years ago. It was a global revolution - she covered the whole world.

The second global process was the industrial revolution of the XVIII-XIX centuries. She also played an outstanding role in human history, led to the spread of machine production, the change of agrarian society industrial.

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

A revolution occurring in individual countries lead to reorganization in all spheres of life of people. This happened to Russia after the October Revolution of 1917, when the advice of workers and peasant deputies came to power. The authorities changed, the entire social groups disappeared (for example, the noble estate), but new - Soviet intelligentsia, collective farmers, party workers, etc. appeared.

Reforms - partial changes affecting not all society, but some of its spheres.

Reforms, as a rule, are not affected by all countries, but each separately, since it is an internal case of the state. Reforms are held by the government, they are undergoing vowels, are planned in advance, their discussion is involved in broad layers of the population, and the course of reform is covered with the press.

One of the greatest in the history of reformats was the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I (527-565) - he established a commission to create a Corpus of Roman Law (Latin - Corpus Juris Civilis) in order to replace outdated laws. It was also necessary to eliminate contradictions in legislation. When the Code of Justinian was created, all the laws that did not enter into it lost strength. Until now, Roman law lies at the heart of the civil law of most modern countries (including Russia).

Today, the education reform is held in our country, which began in the 1990s and led to the emergence of new textbooks, the examination system of the USE, state educational standards.

The basis of the development of society is the technical progress - the improvement of instruments of labor and technology, as it changes the production, quality and productivity of labor, has an impact on a person, on the relationship between society with nature.

Technical progress has a long history of formation. About 2 million years ago, the first tools of labor appeared (remember what they were represented by themselves), from which technical progress originates. Approximately 8-10 thousand years ago, our ancestors switched from gathering and hunting for farming and cattle breeding, and about 6 thousand years ago, people began to live in cities, specializing in certain types of labor, divided into social classes. In the second half of the XVII century, with the beginning of the industrial revolution, the era of industrial factories opened, and in the 20th century, computers, the Internet, thermonuclear energy, the development of space. Modern personal computer in terms of performance exceeds the 80-90 year-old computing centers.

What came to replace the forge (1), plow (2), Peru and inkwell (3)? Can we talk about public progress in these cases?

Perhaps in any other society did not appreciate the innovation so high as in modern. In the 20th century, unique inventions were made: electricity, radio, television, cars, airplanes, nuclear energy, rocket education, computers, laser equipment and robots. Each new invention, in turn, led to the creation of even more advanced generations of technology.

Technical progress reflected on the social sphere. Technical devices greatly facilitate life to a person, help people solve household problems (prepare food, clean the apartment, erase, etc.), come to help people with disabilities. The emergence of the car in the root changed the ideas about the place of work and residence, gave the opportunity to help a lot of kilometers from his workplace. People have become more mobile, including adolescents, who thanks to the Internet began to communicate with their peers from geographically removed places.

Technical progress has changed the lives of millions of people, but at the same time gave rise to many problems. The active intervention of a person in nature led to many negative consequences: many species of plants and animals disappear or are on the verge of disappearance, forests are cut down, industrial enterprises pollute water, air and soil. Amenities of urban life are accompanied by air gas tank, transport fatigue, etc.

Public progress is called the movement of mankind from the lowest to the highest steps. It has a global, covering the whole world, character. On the contrary, regress is a temporary departure from conquered positions. Revolutions and reforms are two types of public progress. Revolutions are global or limited one or several countries. Reforms are carried out only in one society and are gradual.

Progress and regress of society - (from Lat. Progressus - movement forward), the direction of development, for which the transition from the lowest to the highest, from less perfect to more perfect. The concept of progress is opposite to the concept of regression. Faith in progress refers to the basic values \u200b\u200bof industrial society. Progress is directly related to freedom and can be considered as its steady historical implementation. Progress can be defined as a translational development, in which all changes, especially qualitative, go along the uplink, disclosed as a transition from the lower to the highest, from less perfect to more perfect. On the cultural and value horizon of mankind, the idea of \u200b\u200bprogress appeared relatively late. Antiquity did not know her. Did not know her and the Middle Ages. A truly faith in progress began to be approved in the fight against religious faith for human spiritual emancipation. The triumph of the idea of \u200b\u200bprogress, appropriate sentiment and expectations fell on the XVIII century, the age of enlightenment, reason, faith in the great liberation mission of science, objective and true knowledge. Faith in progress becomes something for granted, but in depth, inner conviction, readiness to serve, follow and obey - even akin to faith in God. The attribute is fixed behind progress
Historical immutability.

Progress and regress - dialectical opposites; Development cannot be understood as soon as progress or regression. In the evolution of living organisms and the development of society, progressive and regressive trends are interacting. Moreover, the interrelation of these trends in living matter and in society is not exhausted by the bonds of alternation or cyclicity (when development processes are thinking by analogy with growth, flourishing and subsequent fading, aging of living organisms). Being dialectically opposite, the progress and regression of society are intermittently related to each other. "... every progress in organic development," Engels noted, "is at the same time and regress, because it consolidates unilateral development and excludes the possibility of development in many other areas" 102.

In the twentieth century, progress was carried out ambiguously. A tangible blow to guaranteed progress caused World War II. She showed
The futility of hopes for significant improvement of human nature. Subsequent events This tendency of disappointment in progress only strengthened. In the conditions of the post-industrial society, aware of the fact that neither automation, nor warranty in progress in itself, no, what should be struggling for him. And that progress is ambiguous that he brings with him negative social consequences. With regard to a separate person, progress means faith in success, approval and promoting productive activities. Success, personal achievements determine the social status of a person, his own progress. The lifestyle focused on success is extremely creative and dynamic. He allows a person to be an optimist, do not fall in spirit in case of failure, strive to new and tirelessly create it, it is easy to part with the past
And be an open future.

Progress and regress in the development of society

All societies are in constant development, in the process of changes and transition from one state to another. At the same time, sociologists allocate two directions and three main forms of society. First consider the essence progrescent and regressive areas.

Progress (from lat. Progressus - movement forward, mustache) indicates development with an upward trend, movement from the bottom to the highest, from less perfect to more perfect. It leads to positive changes in society and manifests itself, for example, in improving the means of production and labor, in the development of public labor separation and the growth of its pro-junction, in the new achievements of science and culture, improving the living conditions of people, their comprehensive development and etc.

Regression (from Lat. Regressus - Inverse Movement), on-mind ensures development with a descending trend, to reverse the movement, the transition from the highest to the lower, which leads to negative consequences. It may appear, let's say, in reducing the efficiency of production and the level of people's welfare, in distributing smoking, drunkenness, drug addiction in society, the health of the population, increasing mortality, falling the level of spirituality and morality of people, etc.

Which path is society: along the path of progress or regression? From how will the answer to this question, the presentation of people about the future depends: Does it be the best life or does not succeed anything good?

Ancient Greek poet Hesiod (8-7 centuries BC.) He wrote about five stages in human life.

First Piece "golden age",when people lived easily and carelessly.

Second - "silver Age" - The beginning of the fall of morality and piety. Going down and lower, people were in "Iron Age"When evil, violence is reigning everywhere, justice is trampled.

How did he seen the Hesiod of mankind: progressive or regressive?

Unlike Hesiod Ancient philosophers

Plato and Aristotle considered the story as a cyclic cycle, repeating the same stages.

With the achievements of science, crafts, arts, revival of public life in the Renaissance Epoch, the development of the idea of \u200b\u200bhistorical progress is connected.

One of the first the theory of public progress put forward a French philosopher Ann Robber Turgo (1727-1781).

His contemporary french philosopher enlightener Jacques Antoine Condorse (1743-1794) Sees historical progress as a path of social progress, in the center of which is the upward development of the human mind.

K. Marxit believed that humanity goes to an increasingly mastery of nature, the development of production and man himself.

Recall the facts from the history of the XIX-XX centuries. The revolutions often followed counter-revolution, for reforms - counter-processors, for indigenous changes in the political structure - the restoration of old orders.

Think on which examples from domestic or universal history you can illustrate this idea.

If we tried to portray the progress of humanity graphically, we would not have a straight line, but a broken line, reflecting the lifts and decline. In the history of different countries, there were periods when the reaction was triumphant when the progressive forces of society were subjected. For example, what disaster brought Europe with fascism: the death of millions, the enslavement of many peoples, the destruction of centers of culture, fires from the books of the greatest thinkers and artists, a cult of coarse power.

Separate changes occurring in different areas of society can be multidirectional, i.e. Progress in one area may be accompanied by regress to another.

So, throughout history, the progress of technology is clearly traced: from stone tools to iron, from hand tools to machines, etc. But the progress of the technique, the development of the industry led to the destruction of nature.

Thus, progress in one region was accompanied by regress to another. The progress of science and technology had ambiguous consequences. The use of computer equipment not only expanded the possibilities of labor, but led to new diseases associated with the long-term work at the display: impairment of sight, etc.

The growth of major cities, the complication of the production and rhythms of life in everyday life - increased the load on the human body, gave rise to stresses. Modern history, as well as past, is perceived as the result of people's creativity, where progress and regression have.

For humanity, in general, the development of the ascending line is characteristic. Evidence of world social progress, per hour, there may be not only the growth of material well-being and social security of people, but also weakening confrontation (confrontation - from the lat. CON - against + IRONS - Front - Anti-Standing, Anti-Fiction) Between the classes and the peoples of different countries, the desire for peace and cooperation is an increasing number of Zem-Liang, the approval of political democracy, the development of the body-leather morality and genuine humanistic Kul-tours, the whole human in man finally.

An important feature of social progress, further, scientists believes and a growing tendency for the liberation of a person - an rally (a) from the suppression by the state, (b) from the dictate of Collections, (c) from any exploitation, (d) from the vital closetness spaces, (e) from fear for their safety and future. In the other words, the tendency to expand and more efficient protection everywhere in the world of civil rights and freedoms of people.

According to the degree of ensuring the rights and freedoms of citizens, the modern world is a very little picture. Thus, according to the estimates of the Ame-Rican organization in support of democracy in the world community "Freedom House" (English Freedom House - House of Freedom, Osnovan in 1941), annually publishing "Freedom Card" of the world, from 191 countries of the planet In 1997

- completely free were 79;

- partially free (where Russia is related to both) - 59;

- non-free - 53. Among the latter, 17 of the most unprofitable states were especially allocated (category "Worst of the worst") - such as Afghanistan, Burma, Iraq, China, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Drukimi . It is curious the geography of the spread of freedom on the globe: its main foci is concentrated in Western Europe and North America. At the same time, from 53 countries in Africa are recognized only 9, and among the Arab countries - not one.

Progress is visible in human relations themselves. More and more people understand that they must learn to live together and comply with the laws of society, should respect the vital standards and be able to search for compromises (Compromise - from Lat. Compromissum - Agreement based on mutual concessions)must suppress our own aggressiveness, appreciate and protect nature and all that have created previous generations. These are welcome at the signs that humanity is steadily moving towards relations of solidarity, harmony and good.

Regress is more often wearing a local character, i.e. it concerns either individual societies or life spheres, or individual peri-od. For example, while Norway, Finland and Japan (our neighbors) and other countries of the West confidently climbed the steps of progress and prosperity, the Soviet Union and His "Most Bourgeing on Socialist Unfortunate" [Bulgaria, GDR (BRE-accurate Germany) , Poland, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and others] regressed, uncontrollably rolling in 1970-80. In the abyss of collapse and crisis. Moreover, progress and regression are difficult to intertwine.

So, in Russia, the 1990s clearly take place and the other. The decline in production, the gap of the former economic ties between the wip-out, the decline in living standards in many people and the growth of criminally and is obvious "tags" regression. But there is also the opposite - signs of progress: the liberation of society from the Soviet totalitarianism and dictatorship of the CPSU, which began movement to the market and democracy, the expansion of the rights and freedoms of citizens, considerable freedom of the media, the transition from the Cold War to peaceful cooperation with the West, etc.

Questions and tasks

1. Give the definition of progress and regression.

2. How did you consider the path of mankind in antiquity?

What has changed on this issue in the Renaissance?

4. Is it possible for ambiguity to talk about public progress in general?

5. Think about questions set in one of the philosophical books: Is the progress of the replacement of the boom with firearms, a flint rifle - automatic? Is it possible to consider progress to replace when torture of hot electric shocks? Justify your answer.

6. Which of the listed one can be attributed to the contradictions of public progress:

(A) The development of technology leads to the emergence of both the means of creation and the means of destruction;

B) the development of industries leads to a change in the social status of the worker;

C) the development of scientific knowledge leads to a change in the representations of a person about the world;

D) Human culture undergoes changes under the influence of production.

Previous12345678910111213141516Next

Ege. Society. Topic 6. Progress. Regression

Any development is a forward or backward movement. So society can develop either progressively or regressively, and sometimes the society is characterized by both of these processes, only in various spheres of life. What is progress and regression?

Progress

Progress - from from Lat. Progressus is a forward movement, it is such a direction in the development of society, which is characterized by the movement from the lowest to the highest, from the less perfect to the more perfect, is a forward movement forward for the better.

Social progress is a world-historical process for which the ascent of humanity from primitiveness (wildness) to civilization is based on the achievements of scientific and technical, political and legal, moral and ethical.

Types of progress in society

Social	The development of society on the path of justice, the creation of conditions for the comprehensive development of the individual, for its decent life, the fight against the reasons that prevent this development.
Material	The process of satisfying the material needs of humanity, which is based on the development of science, technology, raising the living standards of people.
Scientific	Deepening the knowledge of the surrounding world, society and man, the further development of micro and macrocosmos.
Scientific and technical	The development of science is aimed at the development of technology, improving the production process, its automation.
Cultural (spiritual)	The development of morality, the formation of conscious altruism, the gradual transformation of a person - the consumer in the man-creator, self-development and self-improvement of the individual.

Progress criteria

The question of progress criteria (i.e., signs, grounds that allow you to judge the phenomena as progressive) always caused ambiguous answers to different historical era. I will give some points of view about progress criteria.

Modern progress criteria are not so unequivocal. There are many of them, in the complex they indicate the progressive development of society.

Criteria for public progress of contemporary scientists:

• The development of production, the economy as a whole, an increase in human freedom towards nature, the life level of people, the growth of popular welfare, quality of life.
• The level of democratization of society.
• Freedom level, enshrined legislatively provided opportunities for comprehensive development and self-realization, reasonable consumption of freedom.
• Moral improvement of society.
• Development of education, science, education, increase in human needs in the scientific, philosophical, aesthetic knowledge of the world.
• Life expectancy of people.
• Increase human happiness and good.

However, progress is not only a positive phenomenon. Unfortunately, humanity at the same time creates, and destroys. The skillful informed use of the achievements of the human mind is also one of the criteria of the progress of society.

Disability of public progress

Positive and negative consequences of progress	Examples
Progress in some regions can lead to stagnation in others.	A bright example is a period of Stalinism in the USSR. In the 30s, the course of industrialization was taken, the pace of development of industry increased dramatically. However, the social sphere developed a weakly, the light industry worked on the residual principle. As a result, a significant deterioration in the quality of life of people.
The fruits of scientific progress can be used both for the benefit and in harm to people.	The development of information systems, the Internet is the greatest achievement of mankind, which opens up the broad opportunities. However, simultaneously there is a computer dependence, human departure in the virtual world, a new disease has appeared - "Game Computer Dependence".
Progress to achieve today can lead to negative consequences in the future.	An example is the development of virgin lands to the rule of N. Khrushchev .. At first, a rich harvest was really received, but after a time of soil erosion appeared.
The progress of the water country does not always lead to progress in another.	Recall the state of the Golden Horde. This at the beginning of the 13th century was a huge empire, with a numerous army, advanced military equipment. However, progressive phenomena in this state became a disaster for many countries, including for Russia, which is more than two hundred years under the IGA Horde.

Summing up, I would like to note that humanity is characterized by the desire to go ahead, opening new and new opportunities. However, it is necessary to remember, and scientists first of all, what are the consequences of such a progressive movement, whether it will be wrapped by a catastrophe for people. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the negative consequences of progress.

Regression

The opposite progress by social development is regressing (from Lat. Regressus, that is, the movement in the opposite direction, returning back) - movement from more perfect to less perfect, from more higher forms of development to the lower, movement back, changes to the worst.

Signs of regression in society

• Worsening the quality of people's life
• Decline in the economy, crisis phenomena
• Mortality growth of people, reducing average living standards
• Demochement of the demographic situation, decline in fertility
• The increase in the incidence of people, epidemic., A large percentage of the population having

Chronic diseases.

• The fall in morality, education, culture of society as a whole.
• Solving issues by force, declarative methods and methods.
• Reducing freedom in society, its violent suppression.
• Weakening the country as a whole and its international situation.

The solution to the problems associated with the regressive processes of society is one of the tasks of the government, the leadership of the country. In a democratic state, coming about the path of civil society, which is Russia, I have great importance to public organizations, the opinion of the people. Problems need to be addressed and solving the reporting of the authorities and the people.

Material prepared: Melnikova Vera Aleksandrovna

The concept of public progress

Starting any new thing for yourself, a person believes that it will be successfully completed. We believe in the best and hope for the best. Our grandfathers and fathers, undergoing all the lives, Military Lipherette, working not to twist the hands were convinced that we were, their children would get a happy life, lighter than that they lived. And so it was always.

Throughout the XVI - XVII centuries, when Europeans spread over the expanses of Okumen (promised land) opening a new light when new branches of science began to emerge, the word appeared. progress».

This concept is basically the Latin word "progressus" - "move forward".

In the modern scientific dictionary under public progress They began to understand the totality of all progressive changes in society, its development from simple to complex, transition from a lower level to higher.

However, even the short-circuited optimists, convinced that the future will inevitably be better than the present, realized that the update process does not always go smoothly and progressively. Sometimes, behind the move ahead, a rollback should be a reactive movement when society can ride more primitive levels of development. This process was named " regress" Regress opposes progress.

Also in the development of society, it is possible to distinguish periods when there is neither explicit improvement, translational dynamics, but no movement to reverse. Such a state began to call the word " fromtignion"Or" stagnation ". Stagnation is an extremely dangerous phenomenon. It means that in society included "braking mechanisms" that it is not able to perceive new, advanced. Society in a state of stagnation rejects this new, striving for anything to save the old, taught structures, opposed to the update. Ancient Romans emphasized: "If you do not move forward - moving back" ..

And progress, and regress and stagnation do not exist separately in human history. They are bizarrely intertwined, replace each other, complement the picture of social development. Often when studying historical events, such as reforms or revolutions, you met with such a concept as "counter-processors", "reaction rotation". For example, when considering "Great Reforms", Alexander II, which touched upon all spheres of Russian society, led to the overthrowing of the serfdom, the creation of immovable local governments (zemstvo and urban duma, an independent judiciary) we cannot not note the reaction that followed them - "counter doors" Alexander III. It usually happens when innovations are too significant, fast and public system does not have time to successfully adapt to them. The correction of these changes is inevitable, a peculiar "sweeping" and "Utruska". The well-known Russian publicist M.N.Katkov, a contemporary "Great Reforms", wrote that Russia has moved too far along the path of liberal transformations, which is time to stop, look back, comprehend how these changes correlate with the Russian reality. And, of course, make amendments. As you know from the lessons of history, it was in the 1880s - the beginning of the 1890s that the powers of the jury vessels were limited, there were more strict control over the activities of the state from the state.

Significant shocks called Peter I reform for our country, according to A.S. Pushkin, "Raising Russia,". And to a certain extent, as the modern Russian historian A.Yanov was determined, the Detairization of the country was required after the death of King Peter.

In other words, the reaction should not be considered only in a negative plan. Although most often, in the lessons of history we are talking about the negative side of it. The reaction period is always coagulation of reforms, the attack on the rights of citizens. "Arakcheevshchina", "Nikolaev reaction", "dark seven years" - here are examples of a similar approach.

But the reaction is different. It may be a response, both on liberal reforms and conservative transformations.

So, we noted that public progress is a complex and ambiguous concept. In its development, the Company does not always go along the way of improvement. Progress can be complemented by regressive periods and stagnation. Consider and another side of public progress that repulses us in the controversial essence of this phenomenon.

Progress in one of the areas of public life, for example, in science and technology, not necessarily should be complemented by progress in other areas. More, that, even the fact that today we consider progressive, tomorrow or in the foreseeable future can turn into a catastrophe. Let us give an example. Many great discoveries of scientists, so, for example, the opening of X-ray rays or the phenomenon of the division of uranium core caused new types of terrible weapons - weapons of mass defeat.

Further, progress in the life of one of the countries does not necessarily entail progressive changes in other countries and regions. History gives us many similar examples. The Central Asian commander Tamerlan contributed to the considerable flourishing of his country, the cultural and economic rise of its cities, but due to what? Due to the robbery and ruin of other lands. The colonization by Europeans in Asia and Africa contributed to the growth of the wealth and the living standards of the peoples of Europe, but in some cases it was molded the archaic forms of public life in the countries of the East. We affect another problem affecting the topic of the progress of society. Speaking of "best" or "worst", "high" or "low", "primitive" or "complex" - we always mean the subjective characteristics inherent in people. Progressive for one person may not be as for the other. It is difficult to talk about progress when we mean the phenomenon of spiritual culture, creative activities of people.

The public development will be influenced by both objective factors that do not depend on the will and desire of people (natural phenomena, cataclysms) and the subjective, due to the activities of people, their interests, aspirations, possibilities. It is the action of a subjective factor in history (human) and makes the concept of public progress so complex and contradictory.