Progress

Hotel Bar Sessions

The HBS hosts ask: how do we know if we're getting where we're going?

Recently, an article about four "hard problems" in philosophy and their possible solutions came into Rick's newsfeed. Upon reading it, his first question was whether or not philosophy is about "solving problems" at all, which immediately led him to think not only about progress in philosophy, but progress in general.

Some philosophers have argued that humans, in general, have made great “moral progress.” Others argue that history is essentially progressive: toward greater freedom (Hegel), toward more comfortable lives (Smith), toward equality for all (Marx), or other identifiable ends. And clearly there has been progress in the so-called "hard sciences" like medicine, biology, physics, computer science, mathematics, etc.

So, the question is: are we making progress? Toward what? For whom? And how do we know?

Full episode notes at this link:
https://hotelbarpodcast.com/podcast/progress

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