It turns out that the primary driving force of progress is not so much the capabilities of a single generation, but rather the combination of deep, often contradictory processes that merge material and immaterial elements.

Interwoven Forces: The True Drivers of Progress

It turns out that the primary driving force of progress is not so much the capabilities of a single generation, but rather the combination of deep, often contradictory processes that merge material and immaterial elements. For example, Henry George noted that if the growth of wealth leads only to an increase in luxury and the amplification of social inequality, then such progress remains incomplete—“as long as all wealth growth […] goes solely toward the formation of enormous fortunes, the increase of luxury, and the intensification of the contrast between the house of Abundance and the house of Need, progress cannot be considered genuine and enduring” (source: link txt). In other words, economic achievements alone do not guarantee true development.

On the other hand, philosophical reflections on progress indicate that its driving forces are collective moral development and the transformation of society, where an individual issue becomes a social one: “From a philosophical and ethical perspective, progress is first and foremost the liberation of the human ‘self’ from external constraints… Society, social development, is the necessary instrument for the moral development of the human personality” (source: link txt). Here, social structures and their capacity to foster moral and intellectual improvement play a key role, even when individual generations might seem less capable.

Furthermore, it should be noted that crisis and conflict situations often stimulate the rapid development of technologies and processes. For instance, it has been observed that armed conflicts and their associated technological leaps accelerate change: “And war is the best indicator of the inner essence of cultural progress, and in this inner essence of progress a dreadful tragedy is revealed… Thus, the improvement of weapons of death proceeds so swiftly!” (source: link txt). Consequently, even if young people may seem apathetic or inadequately prepared, progress moves forward due to a wide range of factors—from economic and technological to profound socio-ethical transformations.

Ultimately, the true engine of progress lies not so much in the efficiency of a single generation but in the intertwining of historical, economic, technological, and moral forces, which, despite temporary imperfections, guide humanity toward a deeper understanding and self-realization.