Show Trailer - The Long Road To Progress

Episode 1 - Trailer

Marshall (00:01.262)

Hi, welcome to Notions of Progress. I'm Marshall Madow. In 1795, the French philosopher Marquis de Condorcet wrote, no bounds have been fixed to the improvement of the human faculties. The perfectibility of humankind is truly indefinite. More than a century later, the well-known historian J.B. Bury would crystallize what this meant in practice, stating the following.

Progress of civilization depends on increasing knowledge of nature and the consequent control with such knowledge confers. So it basically came down to three themes, knowledge, control, progress. These became the criteria by which modernity measures advancement. This enlightenment conviction that human progress through reason is unlimited and unstoppable remains

remarkably alive today. And this is the reason I am putting together this show, Notions of Progress. We often hear about exciting new technologies, especially with the recent advancements in AI and the race for artificial general intelligence. Many assume these developments represent tangible progress and that we're moving forward, advancing and improving the human condition. But few stop to ask what progress actually means.

where this idea comes from or whether in fact the underlying assumptions for progress are actually true. This podcast examines contemporary technological themes and movements including AI accelerationism, transhumanism, effective altruism, and technological determinism and places of them within the broader context regarding conceptions of progress.

Marshall (01:53.134)

Project.

Marshall (01:56.758)

Notions of Progress surveys ideas about progress across more than two millennia of Western thought. Starting with ancient Greece, Rome, early Christianity, and medieval Europe, the show traces how ideas of progress evolved through the scientific revolution, through the Enlightenment, the Industrial Age, and into our current period of rapid technological change. Though the main focus of this show regards technological progress,

other conceptions of progress will necessarily appear along the way. These conceptions vary dramatically. Some philosophical traditions, for example, have understood progress in moral terms as humanity's gradual ethical improvement. Many, such as Spengler, have seen history differently, as cyclical rather than linear, with civilizations rising and falling in recurring patterns.

Still others have viewed progress cautiously and skeptically as bringing both liberation as well as potential new forms of domination. While still others have rejected outright the concept of progress, seeing it as a dangerous illusion or outright decline. Even the term technology itself is ambiguously understood and requires clarification from the start. In this podcast,

I will adopt the interpretation that sees technology broadly, sees the idea of technology broadly, and not merely referring to just machines and devices. For example, the French philosopher and sociologist Jacques Ellul used the term technique as a corollary to technology to describe something far more expansive than machines. He defined it as,

the systematic organization of human activity towards efficient ends.

Marshall (03:57.656)

This encompasses not just industrial machinery, but the bureaucratic administration, scientific management, social engineering, and the entire apparatus of modern rationalization. This broader interpretation helps explain why critiques of technology often extend well beyond specific inventions or machines.

Renowned philosophical thinkers from Kierkegaard to Heidegger worried less about particular machines than about what technology does to the human experience and existence. They were concerned about how it shapes our relationship to nature, to one another, and to the concept of meaning itself.

my approach.

I intend to approach this project as both a researcher and sort of a cartographer from a historical perspective.  My goal is to map ideas about progress across history to chart the intellectual terrain, identify major landmarks in competing schools and philosophies, and trace the transformation of these ideas over time. Equally important,

I aspire to situate current claims about technological progress and align them with historical doctrines. These claims have precedents, antecedents, and contexts. Understanding those contexts helps clarify what's actually at stake here and will find itself in contemporary debates about progress. With a background in intellectual history, I will leverage this research for my current and future work.

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My intention is to interview subject matter experts across multiple disciplines, including historians of science and technology, intellectual historians, and thinkers across a wide variety of domains. These conversations hopefully will help build a comprehensive understanding of where our contemporary assumptions are and how they relate to progress as originated and how they actually function today.

the structure.

Marshall (06:15.872)

Episodes will be released bi-weekly initially as the progress develops I intend to increase the frequency to weekly once I can Line up a steady flow of guests, which I see is a challenge in the beginning The goal is to create a rigorous comprehensive survey that remains accessible to academics and non specialists alike I don't want this to be just a podcast for academically minded folks .

I'll move roughly chronologically, though not strictly so. The aim is clarity, but without oversimplification. A tall order, indeed.

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Why now? This idea for this project emerged from a perceived zeitgeist that many are questioning whether the fast moving changes around them actually constitute progress. Some are struggling to make sense of a world where they feel constantly bombarded by technological transformation. This includes new platforms, new capabilities, and perceived threats, as well as new promises. The pace is relentless.

Increasingly, people are asking, where is this all going? Is this actually making our lives better? Who decided this was progress? These aren't just abstract philosophical questions from my perspective, as they resemble real, real concerns that many people face today.

So why does this matter, you might ask. It's reasonable to ask why historical analysis of progress concepts deserves attention while there are far more immediate issues pressing upon us. The answer, from my perspective, is that so many of these concerns are actually shaped by inherited assumptions about progress without us really being aware of this.

Policy debates, for example, invariably involve claims regarding the pace of advancement or whether we can or should attempt to slow or redirect technological change.

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you

Marshall (08:35.702)

Many of these claims contain specific theories of progress, whether their proponents recognize it or not. Consider, for example, the current discourse around artificial general intelligence. Some argue it represents humanity's greatest achievement, the great culmination of scientific progress. Alternatively, others warn of an existential catastrophe. What both positions have in common is that they rest on particular understandings of what technology is,

how it develops and how it relates to human flourishing. And embedded in this concept is a theory of progress. In the absence of examining the history of these understandings, it's difficult, to adequately evaluate the validity of these claims, hence the reason to do this show from my perspective.

So what's ahead?

Episode 1 will establish the framework for the series. I'll outline the major historical periods and various intellectual movements over time. We'll examine ancient conceptions of time and change through medieval Christian providence, early modern scientific revolution, 19th century grand theories, and contemporary technological determinism. I'll also preview the range of thinkers and ideas we'll encounter in future episodes.

The goal is to create a clear roadmap for the journey ahead and a demonstration of why this historical approach offers any value for the users. Most importantly, episode one will make the case for why genealogical inquiry into progress concepts is essential groundwork for navigating our technological present, not merely an historical exercise exclusively relegated to the past.

Marshall (10:30.254)

If this project resonates with you, here's how to stay connected and engaged. First, visit the show's website notionsofprogress.com. There, you can join the email list and get updates on new episodes and upcoming guests. You'll find detailed show notes for each episode with references, links, and additional resources for deeper exploration. Second, you can find Notions of Progress on YouTube by searching Notions of Progress.

where you'll get the full video versions of each episode. As well, you'll find the audio version on many major audio podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Lastly, if you want to engage directly regarding questions or suggestions for topics or guests, can reach me by email at marshall at notionsofprogress.com or you can send direct message on Twitter to ampersand notionsprogress.

Please join me as I embark upon this journey and hopefully we will learn something together. I'm Marshall. Welcome to Notions of Progress.