According to the sociologist Robert Nisbet some of the factors of the Idea of Progress are; a value of the past, worth of economic and technological growth, faith in reason and scientific knowledge, and the intrinsic importance of life on earth.

Have the developments of humankind really created benefit for us? How do we value civilised society? How do our definitions of civilised vary within different cultures on the earth? What value do we place on advancements in healthcare? It seems as though it is a matter of perspective, from where we find ourselves in the world. Are humans creating anything of value on earth? are we merely surviving?

Is keeping the peace possible? Or is a constant state of war inevitable? The questions of progress seem to have no clear answer, the horrors of history and the present what can they teach us, what can we do to prevent them from re-occurring? The idea of progress to myself is the idea of incremental improvements that can help us improve on mistakes. Creating value, not necessarily entirely monetary, technology, science, can it provide us with the choice to progress?