Abstract

The term “progress” is a new concept of the Enlightenment. It is an optimistic term that describes the development towards a better future, especially against the background of technical, industrial and scientific innovations. The history of Europe has been dominated by the “myth of progress” (Sting S (1991). Der Mythos des Fortschreitens. Zur Geschichte der Subjektbildung.Reimer, Berlin) since the Enlightenment at least. Progress means, first of all, in a formal sense, perceiving things in a specific way, i.e. interpreting change in a specific way, taking a specific direction in doing so, emphasizing a specific future, and ultimately seeking to realize a specific goal in the future, although progress is not identical with the achievement of the goal (Spaemann R (1983) Unter welchen Umständen kann man noch von Fortschritt sprechen? In Philosophische essays, 130–150. Reclam, Stuttgart).