Reason

Shahab Sabahi

Energy and Environment for Development – Policy Analysis Research Group

Humans have long been curious to understand the principles which govern planets, ecosystem, society and individual interactions. Knowing the governing laws gives humans to foresee their future development. The enlightenment, intellectual movement marked the rise of the modern life in Europe of the 17th and 18th centuries, was the crucial era for evolving this human’s desire. It furnished appropriate ground on which ideas about individual capability, nature, and human rights were shaped in adherence to ideology of liberalism. Reason was used to explain phenomena and link between human and its environment. The enlightenment is credited for supporting revolutionary developments in art, religion, philosophy and politics. However, it would be safe to say that central to the enlightenment was the deification of reason.

Indeed, the enlightenment had its origin backed to the ancient Greeks. The ancient Greek philosophers embodied the idea of reason in their philosophies and promoted its application in their speculations. For them philosophy was the mother of sciences engulfing the essence of all human achievements. It is therefore natural to associate philosophy with elements of universal scientific developments.(G. Saridis) It is true that human, since then, with the use of philosophy and reasoning, has described phenomena, in form of speculations, divine laws or explaining empirical experiences.

Today, this trend still follows. We keep attempting to conceptualize better frameworks to explain phenomena and the governing laws with the help of both philosophy and scientific facts.

Value Judgment and Progress

Shahab Sabahi

Energy and Environment for Development – Policy Analysis Research Group

What we discussed in my earlier post “progress” on October 23^rd 2011and in the social scientists group, briefly covered origins for the idea of progress and its implication for society development.  Similar lines of inquiry might be pursued through other sociological literature, with the result of showing case studies that attempt to explain society, and particularly social advance. What was missed, explicit definition for the significant and essential characteristic of human beings, for striving after the accomplishment of certain life-purposes (E. Kant).. Such terms as "struggle," "conflict," "survival," and "adaptation stand for legitimate and highly important concepts in social theory, but concepts nevertheless which can give us no clue to the true nature of human progress.  

 

The definition of progress does not imply continuous, uninterrupted advance along a smooth path, but rather the halting, infrequent lunges forward which the actual page of history discloses (B. Woods). It is possible to assume an attitude on the subject of human evolution and denying all significance to judgments of better or worse, passed on human life conditions in different ages. No matter which standards or codes picked, the concept of social valuations is universal, and, indeed inevitable. It is decidedly worth while that they should be founded, not on narrow interests or artificial conceptions of life, but on a survey of the largest horizon of truth about humanity which it is possible

In contrast to the prevailing original idea of gradual and continuous progress, the orthodox idea of cycles of change existed in the fabric of the philosophies of east and their perceptions of progress. It means regular succession of changes seen in the movements of perfect bodies the return of the seasons, the course of growth and decay in the animal and vegetable world, as well as by periods of degeneration and decline visible in the history of nation. This idea also could survive long and worked well in that part of the world. (Fukuyama)

In social level, progress is essentially an idea of value and teleological idea (Flint). It cannot, therefore, be reduced to a formulation in terms of mechanism. The theory of natural selection is essentially a theory of the mechanics of a process. Evolution in general is a process from homogeneous to heterogeneous (Spencer). In social level, the progress is path-determined (Arrow) and the process’s goal must be set and judged to be good, and involving both the process and the judgment.

However one may still argue that with separating the process from the value judgment, the element of subjectivity appears which it may misguide societies toward a sound direction. The counter argument is “Societies, whose values have survived over the course of history, can set a series of values which suit and serve their space and time (context) as they have done”. This standpoint may fall short when the value judgment is supposed to be taken in a collective global scale (globalization). The problem lies in reconciling a standard of human values, which is valid not because it corresponds to a social actuality, but to a social need with that other dominant conception. So remote the global society ideal of life may be!

A great deal of efforts has been made by social scientists to develop a universal framework to explain the conditions of human development, though this universal framework is inconsistent where the value judgments, ethics and priorities are at play. As Bury highlighted, progress itself, does not suggest its values as a doctrine. So in social level, there may not be a supreme object of action toward the union of human thoughts.

Progress

Shahab Sabahi

Energy and Environment for Development – Policy Analysis Research Group

In a discussion with Professor Shabbir, I was asked for my thought on the concept of “progress”. By nature my mind was starting to make up words, based on my knowledge, for expressing my proposition, but I paused. Second thought ran through my mind that it would be better to look into “progress” from a different perspective. I have never thought about its concept in the context of our days.

Progress entails time and reference. It is a dynamic phenomenon that occurs over the time span. It should also be gauged and compared with a reference. Therefore an accurate definition, from social science standpoint, would be as “humankind evolves toward perfections”. In effect perfections are values which are established in societies. Let me borrow the values from the origin of law.  

Thomas Aquinas in his Summa Theologica describes that virtue denotes a certain perfection of powers. He says that “a thing's perfection is considered chiefly in regard to its end. But the end of power is act. Wherefore power is said to be perfect, according as it is determinate to its act”.

Thomas defined the four cardinal virtues as prudence, temperance, justice, and fortitude which are natural and revealed in nature, and they are binding on everyone. There are, however, three theological virtues, faith, hope and charity. These are somewhat supernatural and are distinct from other virtues in their object.

The object of the intellectual and moral virtues is something comprehensible to human reason. Therefore the theological virtues are specifically distinct from the moral and intellectual virtues

Giving this ground, we are now able to discuss about the concept of progress.

The concept of progress had been developing for centuries before conceding as a principle by western societies. In the 17th century, enlightenment thinkers believed that man emancipated by reason would rise to ever greater heights of achievement. The many manifestations of his humanity would be the engines of progress: language, community, science, commerce, moral sensibility and government. Unfortunately, many of those engines have failed.

Inevitably for developed western countries, the idea, in its classical form, was fundamental for their freedom, democracy and technological advancements.

The idea supported the development of reasoning and rationale and also free-market, social spending, innovation and investments. Societies have continued to advance in the paths which the idea of progress had paved.

But there is a flip side. The 18th century, societies were optimistic that business could bring prosperity; and that prosperity, in its turn, could bring enlightenment. Business has lived up to the first half of that promise. (Joseph Schumpeter) In the early 20th, the idea that individual progress should be subsumed into the shared destiny of nation led to break out of wars. Nationalism became the chief organizing principle of society even in the Middle East. Ruling elite in the pursuit of progress, in some countries, committed crime against people. The idea that humans would advance as part of a collective, would encourage few that have the right and the duty to impose progress on the masses whether they choose it or not,. It claims the blood of millions. With the demise of communism in the early 90s, it was proved that decay is inevitable for every system (No system is perfect and cannot get close to perfection) that basing on stagnated ideologies. Even ideology and concept should get changes over time as the society’s values are altered.   

Now the modern world focuses on consumption and quantities progress. They are based on the classical capitalism principles.

There is a question. Does capitalism with its classical and untouched principles along with technologies have power to tackle our day’s challenges such as climate change, inequality, poverty, energy security, water and food management and support any changes in favor of the wellbeing of the world?

Certainly history has more stories about the usefulness of technologies, but the point is that the quantitative concept of progress is unable to guide smoothly onto progress for humanity. From the human progress perspective, science needs governing and to be hitched to what humanity call “moral progress”. It yields untold benefits, if people wisely use it. Societies should understand what kind of technologies benefit the whole aspects of their lives and how the technologies should be used.  And to do that, we must take into account the society’s values and the way through which people behave in each society based on theirs own culture and the universal human value.