Humanistic criterion of progress. Social progress and its criteria

Progress is the progressive movement of mankind towards one higher rational goal, towards the ideal of the good, worthy of universal desire. And although sometimes, as Leibniz said, there is a backward movement like lines with inversions, nevertheless, in the end, progress will prevail and triumph. Hegel defines world history as a progress in the consciousness of freedom - a progress that we can know in its necessity. The development process involves the accumulation of qualitative new formations that irreversibly lead the system away from its initial state in the direction of either increasing the level of organization of the system, or lowering it, or maintaining the same level in general with some modifications. Such forms of development are expressed in the categories of progress, regression and one-plane development. The path from the primitive herd to modern social, information and technical systems is long. It is estimated that over 6,000 years of human history, there have been more than 20,000 wars on Earth that have claimed the lives of much more people than is now living. Of the 3600 years, only 292 years of peace. In history, powerful states arose and died right there. Reflections on social progress lead to controversial questions: is humanity becoming physically and spiritually healthier and happier or not? What has modern technology brought to people - this idol of humanity? Progress in its purely logical sense is only an abstraction. The development of art proves this well. Compare masterpieces, distant centuries, which one is more artistic. Some authors argue that biologically, intellectually and morally people degenerate, proving this by the fact that cancer patients, neuropsychiatric, mentally retarded, AIDS, drug addiction, and alcoholism are increasing. Each new source of energy is a new discovery, contributing to the progress of the productive forces. But this can also contribute to a threat to humans. Once Rousseau put forward the thesis that the progress of science and art has brought people incalculable harm. As attractive as the idea of ​​reversing everything is, it is not feasible, it is an attempt to get away from the problem, not to solve it. Modern criticism of technological progress is more sophisticated. She has several sides. 1. The boundaries of the growth of human civilization are recognized, at least on Earth. 2. The approach of a new era, there is a search for an opportunity to apply the fruits of technological progress itself to its elimination.
Even at the beginning of the 20th century. progress was used in specific terms, the progress of the national economy, and the modern reflects a tendency to operate with separate concepts, symbols. An interesting statement by Schelling: the idea of ​​unceasing progress is the idea of ​​aimless progress, and that which has no purpose has no meaning.
If progress is the goal, then who are we working for? The question of historical progress has long been treated as a path to perfection. This is development from the lowest to the highest. But the question arises whether the modern type of society can be considered higher than the previous one. If we take technology, of course there is progress, but if the state of morality is very debatable. Humanity faced the problem of harmonious development of all spheres to the highest. Man is at the center of all kinds of social progress. Human problems are considered central. The highest and universal objective criterion of progress is the development of productive forces, including the development of man himself. Varieties of progress: NTP - i.e. with the development of science and technology, production improves and develops, it is automated; Social progress is a gradual improvement in the material conditions of a person's life, an increase in living standards, etc.; Spiritual progress is the development of human spirituality, i.e. man improves himself.
Progress and regress - opposite forms of development of society as a whole or its individual parts, meaning either the progressive development of society in an ascending line, flourishing, or a return to the old, stagnation. The criterion is the degree of development of the productive forces, the economic system, science, culture and development of the individual. The basis for the development of yavl. development of the mode of production.
From a general point of view, progress from simple to complex, increasing the complexity of the organization of systems, can serve as a measure of progress. In vivo, as a general improvement of the system, increasing the possibilities for further development. In the economy, it is necessary to proceed not only from the levels and pace of development of production, but from the standard of living of workers and the growth of people's well-being, the quality of life.
An essential measure of historical progress is the increase in freedom in its rational use, as well as in the increase in human needs for scientific, philosophical, aesthetic knowledge of the world.
We single out three spheres of material reality: inorganic, organic, social, in each of which the criteria of progress are manifested.
For inorganic, the criterion is the degree of complexity of the structure of the system (for example, molecular relative to atomic).
The process in relation to living nature is defined as such an increase in the degree of systemic organization of an object, which allows the new system to perform functions that are inaccessible to the old system.
Speaking of social progress, this is an increase in happiness and goodness in society. And the criteria for EP are: 1) the growth rate of production, labor productivity, leading to an increase in human freedom in relation to nature; 2) the degree of freedom of production workers from exploitation; 3) the level of democratization of public life; 4) the level of real opportunities for the comprehensive development of individuals; 5) an increase in human happiness and goodness.
Man-Nature Relationship in its significance begins to overlap our economic, political, social, and other concerns. Because of the threat of ecological catastrophe. When We kill the last beast and poison the last stream, then We will understand that it is impossible to live on money.
The essence of ES is to break the natural cycles of reproduction of biological resources, self-purification of soil, water, atmosphere.
The difference between the current situation and previous eras is that changes in the living environment negatively affect the nature of the person himself, his initial needs, biological and spiritual state.
Overcoming global threats:
1. Deployment of the information computer, biotechnological revolution as a technical and technical basis for a possible way out of the situation of survival, overcoming obstacles to the unification of mankind. Creation on its basis of a new Civilization. It is important to emphasize that it is this information revolution that creates an objective substantive basis that will make it possible to avert thermonuclear and environmental threats. Rethinking the world.

2. Democratic consent in foreign and domestic policy, in group and interpersonal relations.

3. Unifying processes of spiritual life in both religious and secular versions. An attempt at ideological convergence.

4. Interethnic and intercultural integration while maintaining the autonomy and uniqueness of each ethnic group and each culture.

5. Intelligent search.

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

Progress

Progress- from from lat. progressus - movement forward, This is a direction in the development of society, which is characterized by movement from the lower to the higher, from the less perfect to the more perfect, this is a progressive movement forward, to the better.

social progress- this is a world-historical process, which is characterized by the ascent of mankind from primitiveness (savagery) to civilization, which is based on the achievements of scientific and technical, political, legal, moral and ethical.

Types of progress in society

Progress Criteria

Question about progress criteria(that is signs, grounds, allowing to judge the phenomena as progressive) has always caused ambiguous answers in different historical eras. I will give some points of view on the criteria for progress.

Modern criteria for progress are not so unambiguous. There are many of them, in a complex they testify to the progressive development of society.

Criteria of social progress of modern scientists:

• The development of production, the economy as a whole, the increase in human freedom in relation to nature, the living standards of people, the growth of people's well-being, the quality of life.
• The level of democratization of society.
• The level of freedom enshrined in law, the opportunities provided for the comprehensive development and self-realization of the individual, the reasonable use of freedom.
• Moral improvement of society.
• The development of enlightenment, science, education, the increase in human needs for scientific, philosophical, aesthetic knowledge of the world.
• The lifespan of people.
• Increasing human happiness and goodness.

However, progress is not only a positive phenomenon. Unfortunately, humanity simultaneously creates and destroys. Skillful conscious use of the achievements of the human mind is also one of the criteria for the progress of society.

Controversy of social progress

Summarizing, I would like to note that humanity is characterized by the desire to move forward, opening up new and new opportunities. However, it must be remembered, and scientists in the first place, what would be the consequences of such a progressive movement whether it will turn out to be a disaster for people. Therefore, it is necessary to minimize the negative consequences of progress.

Regression

The path of social development opposite to progress is regression(from lat. regressus, that is, movement in the opposite direction, return back) - movement from more perfect to less perfect, from higher forms of development to lower ones, movement back, changes for the worse.

Signs of regression in society

• Deterioration of the quality of life of people
• Decline in the economy, crisis phenomena
• Rise in human mortality, decline in the average standard of living
• Deterioration of the demographic situation, decline in the birth rate
• Increasing incidence of people, epidemics., A large percentage of the population with

Chronic diseases.

• The fall of morality, education, culture of society as a whole.
• Solving issues by forceful, declarative methods and ways.
• Reducing the level of freedom in society, its violent suppression.
• The weakening of the country as a whole and its international position.

Solving the problems associated with the regressive processes of society is one of the tasks of the government, the country's leadership. In a democratic state, following the path of civil society, which is Russia, public organizations and the opinion of the people are of great importance. Problems must be solved, and solved together, by the authorities and the people.

Material prepared: Melnikova Vera Alexandrovna

There are two types of movement in the development of mankind - forward and backward. In the first case, it will develop progressively, in the second - regressively. Sometimes both of these processes occur simultaneously in society, but in different areas. Therefore, there are different types of progress and regression. So what is progress and regression? We will talk about this, as well as examples of progress, in this article.

What is progress and regression?

The concept of progress can be characterized as follows. Translated from the Latin language, progress is "moving forward." Progress is such a direction in social development, which is characterized by movement from lower forms to higher ones. From the imperfect to the more perfect, to the better, that is, moving forward.

Regression is the exact opposite of progress. This word also comes from the Latin language and means "reverse movement". Therefore, regression is a movement from higher to lower, from perfect to less perfect, changes for the worse.

What is progress like?

There are several types of progress in society. These include the following.

1. Social. It implies such social development that follows the path of justice, creating conditions for a decent, good life, for the development of the personality of each person. As well as the fight against the reasons that hinder this development.
2. Material or economic progress. This is a development in the process of which the material needs of people are satisfied. In order to achieve such satisfaction, it is necessary, in turn, to develop science and technology, to raise the standard of living of people.
3. Scientific. It is characterized by a significant deepening of knowledge about the surrounding world, man, society. As well as the continuation of the development of the surrounding terrestrial and outer space.
4. Scientific and technical. It means progress in the development of science, which is directed to the development of the technical side, the improvement of the production sector, and the automation of the processes taking place in it.
5. Cultural or spiritual progress. Marked by the development of the moral side of life, the formation of altruism, which has a conscious basis, the gradual transformation of a person's personality. It is assumed that from just a consumer of material goods, a person eventually turns into a creator, is engaged in self-development and self-improvement.

Progress Criteria

The topic of progress criteria has been controversial at different times. It has not ceased to be so today. Here are some of the criteria that together are evidence of progressive social development.

1. The development of the production sector, the entire economy, the expansion of people's freedom regarding nature, living standards, the growth of the well-being of the people, the quality of life in general.
2. Achieving a high level of democratization of society.
3. The level of personal and public freedom, which is enshrined at the legislative level. The existence of opportunities for the realization of the personality, for its comprehensive development, for the use of freedom within reasonable limits.
4. Moral improvement of all members of society.
5. The spread of education, the development of science and education. Expansion of the range of human needs related to the knowledge of the world - scientific, philosophical, aesthetic.
6. The duration of human life.
7. Increase goodness and feelings of happiness.

signs of regression

Having considered the criteria for progress, we will briefly talk about the signs of regression in society. These include such as:

• Economic decline, the onset of the crisis.
• Significant decline in living standards.
• Increase in mortality, decrease in life expectancy.
• The onset of a difficult demographic situation, a decrease in the birth rate.
• The spread of diseases above normal levels, epidemics, the presence of a large number of people with chronic diseases.
• Falling moral indicators, the level of education of people, culture in general.
• The use of force, as well as declarative methods in solving problems.
• Suppression of manifestations of freedom by violent means.
• General weakening of the country (state), deterioration of the domestic and international situation.

Progressive events

Let us give examples of progress observed throughout the history of mankind in various fields, which were of great importance.

• In ancient times, man learned how to make fire, create tools, and cultivate the land.
• The slave-owning system was replaced by the feudal system, as a result of which slavery was abolished.
• Printing was invented, the first universities were opened in Europe.
• New lands were developed during the period of the Great Geographical Discoveries.
• The United States became a sovereign state and adopted the Declaration of Independence.
• The French enlighteners organized activities aimed at proclaiming new social ideals, the main of which was freedom.
• During the French Revolution, the class division of people was abolished, freedom, equality, and fraternity were proclaimed.

Achievements of science and technology in the XX century

Although scientific discoveries have been made for a long time, the twentieth century is the true century of progress. Let us give examples of scientific discoveries that have greatly contributed to the progressive development of mankind. In the XX century were discovered and invented:

• The very first plane.
• Albert Einstein's theory of relativity.
• The diode is an electronic lamp.
• Conveyor.
• Synthetic rubber.
• Insulin.
• Television.
• Cinema with sound.
• Penicillin.
• Neutron.
• fission of uranium.
• Ballistic missile.
• Atomic bomb.
• A computer.
• Structure of DNA.
• Integrated circuits.
• Laser.
• Space flights.
• Internet.
• Genetic Engineering.
• Microprocessors.
• Cloning.
• stem cells.

Condorcet (like other French enlighteners) considered the development of the mind to be the criterion of progress. Utopian socialists put forward a moral criterion for progress. Saint-Simon believed, for example, that society should adopt a form of organization that would lead to the implementation of the moral principle that all people should treat each other as brothers. A contemporary of the utopian socialists, the German philosopher Friedrich Wilhelm Schelling (1775-1854) wrote that the solution to the question of historical progress is complicated by the fact that supporters and opponents of the belief in the improvement of mankind are completely entangled in disputes about the criteria for progress. Some talk about the progress of mankind in the field of morality, others - about the progress of science and technology, which, as Schelling wrote, from a historical point of view, is rather a regression, and offered his own solution to the problem: the criterion in establishing the historical progress of the human race can only be a gradual approximation to legal device.

Another point of view on social progress belongs to G. Hegel. He saw the criterion of progress in the consciousness of freedom. As the consciousness of freedom grows, the progressive development of society takes place.

As you can see, the question of the criterion of progress occupied the great minds of modern times, but did not find a solution. The disadvantage of all attempts to overcome this problem was that in all cases only one line (or one side, or one sphere) of social development was considered as a criterion. And reason, and morality, and science, and technology, and the legal order, and the consciousness of freedom - all these indicators are very important, but not universal, not covering the life of a person and society as a whole.

In our time, philosophers also hold different views on the criterion of social progress. Let's consider some of them.

One of the current points of view is that the highest and universal objective criterion of social progress is the development of productive forces, including the development of man himself. It is argued that the direction of the historical process is due to the growth and improvement of the productive forces of society, including the means of labor, the degree to which man masters the forces of nature, the possibility of using them as the basis of human life. The origins of all human activity lie in social production. According to this criterion, those social relations are recognized as progressive, which. correspond to the level of productive forces and open up the greatest scope for their development, for the growth of labor productivity, for the development of man. Man is considered here as the main thing in the productive forces, therefore their development is understood from this point of view and as the development of the wealth of human nature.

This position is criticized from a different point of view. Just as it is impossible to find a universal criterion of progress only in social consciousness (in the development of reason, morality, consciousness of freedom), so it is impossible to find it only in the sphere of material production (technology, economic relations). History has given examples of countries where a high level of material production was combined with the degradation of spiritual culture. In order to overcome the one-sidedness of the criteria that reflect the state of only one sphere of social life, it is necessary to find a concept that would characterize the essence of human life and activity. In this capacity, philosophers propose the concept of freedom.

Freedom, as you already know, is characterized not only by knowledge (the absence of which makes a person subjectively not free), but also by the presence of conditions for its realization. It also requires a decision based on free choice. Finally, funds are also required, as well as actions aimed at implementing the decision taken. We also recall that the freedom of one person should not be achieved by infringing on the freedom of another person. Such restriction of freedom has a social and moral character.

The meaning of human life lies in self-realization, self-realization of the individual. So, freedom acts as a necessary condition for self-realization. In fact, self-realization is possible if a person has knowledge about his abilities, the opportunities that society gives him, about the ways of activity in which he can realize himself. The wider the opportunities created by society, the freer the person, the more options for activities in which his potential will be revealed. But in the process of multifaceted activity, there is also a multilateral development of the person himself, the spiritual wealth of the individual grows.

So, according to this point of view, the criterion of social progress is the measure of freedom that society is able to provide to the individual, the degree of individual freedom guaranteed by society. The free development of a person in a free society also means the disclosure of his truly human qualities - intellectual, creative, moral. This statement brings us to another view of social progress.

As we have seen, one cannot confine oneself to characterizing man as an active being. He is also a rational and social being. Only with this in mind can we talk about the human in a person, about humanity. But the development of human qualities depends on the conditions of people's lives. The more fully the various needs of a person in food, clothing, housing, transport services, his requests in the spiritual field are satisfied, the more moral relations between people become, the more accessible for a person are the most diverse types of economic and political, spiritual and material activities. The more favorable the conditions for the development of the physical, intellectual, mental forces of a person, his moral principles, the wider the scope for the development of individual qualities inherent in each individual person. In short, the more humane the conditions of life, the more opportunities for the development of the human in a person: reason, morality, creative forces.

Humanity, the recognition of man as the highest value, is expressed by the word "humanism". From what has been said above, we can draw a conclusion about the universal criterion of social progress: progressive is that which contributes to the rise of humanism.

Criteria of social progress.

In the extensive literature on social progress, there is currently no single answer to the main question: what is the general sociological criterion of social progress?

A relatively small number of authors argue that the very formulation of the question of a single criterion of social progress is meaningless, since human society is a complex organism, the development of which is carried out along different lines, which makes it impossible to formulate a single criterion. The majority of authors consider it possible to formulate a single general sociological criterion of social progress. However, even with the very formulation of such a criterion, there are significant discrepancies ...

It is very important to understand the direction in which our society is constantly changing and developing. This article is dedicated to this goal. Let's try to determine the criteria for social progress and answer a number of other questions. First of all, let's understand what progress and regression are.

Consideration of concepts

Social progress is such a direction of development, which is characterized by a progressive movement from simple and lower forms of organization of society to more complex, higher ones. Opposite to this term is the concept of "regression", that is, a reverse movement - a return to obsolete relations and structures, degradation, the direction of development from higher to lower.

The history of the formation of ideas about the measures of progress

The problem of criteria for social progress has long worried thinkers. The idea that changes in society are precisely a progressive process appeared in ancient times, but was finally formed in the works of M. Condorcet, A. Turgot and other French enlighteners. These thinkers saw the criteria for social progress in the development of the mind, the spread of enlightenment. This optimistic view of 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 ones. Some thinkers believed that the consequence of moving forward is the growth of 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 agrarian to industrial and further to post-industrial.

Scientists who do not share the idea of ​​progress

Not everyone accepts the idea of ​​progress. Some thinkers reject it in relation to social development - either predicting the "end of history", or saying that societies develop independently of each other, multilinear, in parallel (O. Spengler, N. Ya. Danilevsky, A. Toynbee), or considering history as a cycle with a series of ups and downs (J. Vico).

For example, Arthur Toynbee singled out 21 civilizations, in each of which certain phases of formation are distinguished: emergence, growth, breakdown, decline, and, finally, decomposition. Thus, he abandoned the thesis of the unity of the historical process.

O. Spengler wrote about the "decline of Europe". "Anti-progressism" is especially bright in the works of K. Popper. In his view, progress is a movement towards a specific goal, which is possible only for a specific person, but not in general for history. The latter can be seen as both a forward movement and a regression.

Progress and regress are not mutually exclusive concepts

The progressive development of society, obviously, in certain periods does not exclude regression, return movements, civilizational dead ends, even breakdowns. Yes, and it is hardly possible to speak of an unambiguously rectilinear development of mankind, because there are clearly both leaps forward and setbacks. Progress in a certain area, in addition, can be the cause of a decline, regression in another. Thus, the development of machinery, technologies, tools of labor is a clear evidence of progress in the economy, but it is precisely this development that has brought our world to the brink of a global environmental catastrophe, having depleted the Earth's natural reserves.

Society today is also blamed for the crisis of the family, the decline of morality, lack of spirituality. The price of progress is high: for example, the conveniences of urban life are accompanied by various "urban diseases". Sometimes the negative consequences of progress are so obvious that a legitimate question arises as to whether it is even possible to say that humanity is moving forward.

Criteria of social progress: history

The question of the measures of social development is also relevant. Here, too, there is no agreement in the scientific world. The French enlighteners saw such a criterion in the development of reason, in increasing the degree of rationality of social organization. Some other thinkers and scientists (for example, A. Saint-Simon) believed that the highest criterion of social progress is the state of morality in society, the approximation to early Christian ideals.

G. Hegel adhered to a different opinion. He associated progress with freedom - the degree of its awareness by people. Marxism also proposed its own criterion of development: according to the supporters of this concept, it consists in the growth of productive forces.

K. Marx, seeing the essence of development in the increasing subordination of man to the forces of nature, reduced progress in general to a more particular one - in the production sphere. Contributing to development, he considered only those social relations that at this stage correspond to the level of productive forces, and also open up scope for the improvement of the person himself (acting as an instrument of production).

Criteria of social development: modernity

Philosophy subjected the criteria of social progress to a thorough analysis and revision. In modern social science, the applicability of many of them is disputed. The state of the economic foundation by no means determines the nature of the development of other spheres of social life.

The goal, and not just a means of social progress, is the creation of the necessary conditions for the harmonious and comprehensive development of the individual. Consequently, the criterion of social progress is precisely the measure of freedom that society is able to provide to a person in order to maximize the disclosure of his potential. According to the conditions created in society to meet the totality of the needs of the individual and his free development, the degree of progressiveness of this system, the criteria for social progress, should be assessed.

Let's summarize the information. The table below will help you learn the main criteria for social progress.

The table may be supplemented to include the points of view of other thinkers.

There are two forms of progress in society. Let's consider them below.

Revolution

A revolution is a complex or complete change in most or all aspects of society, affecting the foundations of the existing system. More recently, it was regarded as a universal universal "law of transition" from one socio-economic formation to another. However, scientists could not detect any signs of a social revolution during the transition to a class system from the primitive communal one. Therefore, it was necessary to expand the concept so that it could be applied to any transition between formations, but this led to the destruction of the original semantic content of the term. And the mechanism of a real revolution could be found only in phenomena relating to the era of the New Age (that is, during the transition to capitalism from feudalism).

Revolution from the point of view of Marxism

Following the Marxist methodology, one can say that a social revolution means a radical social revolution that changes the structure of society and signifies a qualitative leap in progressive development. The deepest and most general cause of the rise of the social revolution is the otherwise insoluble conflict between the productive forces, which are growing, and the system of social institutions and relations, which remain unchanged. The aggravation against 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 on the part of the people; its main goal is to transfer the management of society into the hands of a new social class. The difference between revolution and evolution is that the former is considered concentrated in time, that is, it happens quickly, and the masses become its direct participants.

The dialectics of such concepts as revolution and reform seems to be very complicated. The first, as a deeper action, most often absorbs the latter, thus, the action "from below" is supplemented by the activity "from above".

Many modern scholars urge us to abandon the excessive exaggeration in history of the significance of the social revolution, from the idea that it is an inevitable regularity in the solution of historical problems, because it has by no means always been the dominant form that determines social progress. Much more often, changes in the life of society occurred as a result of action "from above", that is, reforms.

Reform

This reorganization, transformation, change in some aspect of social life, which does not destroy the existing foundations of the social structure, keeps power in the hands of the ruling class. Thus, the understood path of a stepwise transformation of relations is opposed to a revolution that sweeps away the old system and orders to the ground. Marxism regarded the evolutionary process, which preserved the remnants of the past for a long time, as too painful and unacceptable for the people. Adherents of this concept believed that since reforms are carried out exclusively "from above" by forces that have power and do not want to part with it, their result will always be lower than expected: transformations are characterized by inconsistency and half-heartedness.

Underestimation of reforms

It was explained by the famous position formulated by V.I. Lenin - that the reforms are "a by-product of the revolution." Note: K. Marx already believed that reforms are never the result of the weakness of the strong, since they are brought to life precisely by the strength of the weak.

His Russian follower reinforced the denial of the possibility that the "tops" might have their own incentives at the start of reforms. IN AND. Lenin believed that reforms were a by-product of the revolution because they were unsuccessful attempts to stifle, weaken the revolutionary struggle. Even in cases where the reforms were clearly not the result of the actions of the masses, Soviet historians still explained them by the desire of the authorities to prevent encroachments on the existing system.

The "reform-revolution" ratio in modern social science

Over time, Russian scientists gradually freed themselves from the existing nihilism in relation to transformations through evolution, first recognizing the equivalence of revolutions and reforms, and then attacking revolutions with criticism as a bloody, extremely inefficient, full of costs and leading to inevitable dictatorship path.

Now great reforms (that is, revolutions "from above") are considered the same social anomalies as great revolutions. They are united by the fact that these ways of resolving contradictions are opposed to healthy, normal practice of gradual, continuous reform in a self-regulating society.

The "revolution-reform" dilemma is replaced by a clarification of the relationship between reform and permanent regulation. In this context, both revolution and changes "from above" "cure" a neglected disease (the first - by "surgical intervention", the second - by "therapeutic methods"), while early and permanent prevention is probably necessary in order to ensure social progress.

Therefore, in social science today, the emphasis is shifting from the antinomy "revolution-reform" to "innovation-reform". Innovation means a one-time ordinary improvement associated with an increase in the adaptive capacity of society in specific conditions. It is she who can ensure the greatest social progress in the future.

The criteria for social progress discussed above are not unconditional. Modern science recognizes the priority of the humanities over others. However, the general criterion of social progress has not yet been established.