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Progress
Progress is a complex idea that has bearing on philosophy, politics, social theory, and history. It is linked to the “progressive” political tradition that has been associated with social democracy and egalitarian liberalism. As far as modern political thought is concerned, progress as an idea is primarily a product of the Enlightenment and became connected to classical liberalism largely through the work of John Stuart Mill and Herbert Spencer. Auguste Comte has also been very influential in the development of the idea of progress, owing to his arguments that society is evolutionary and that positivism provides a means to understand society in a scientific and rational manner. Philosophers have engaged with the idea of progress and the question of whether or not philosophy is moving ...
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