Social Progress

The notion of child labor has disquieted the researcher. This paper highlights the impact of poverty, unemployment and social progress on child labor based on data from 30 countries to ascertain that incidence of child labor may be high with high level of poverty and unemployment along with low level of social progress and educational attainment. The results reveal that poverty has a positive while social progress and unemployment has negative relation with child labor. Moreover, education moderates the causal effects of social progress on child labor, while social progress also mediates the relationship between poverty and child labor.

The world is in a state of crisis. Global problems that threaten our future include: the climate crisis; the destruction of natural habitats, catastrophic loss of wild life, and mass extinction of species; lethal modern war; the spread of modern armaments; the menace of nuclear weapons; pollution of earth, sea and air; rapid rise in the human population; increasing antibiotic resistance; the degradation of democratic politics, brought about in part by the internet. It is not just that universities around the world have failed to help humanity solve these global problems; even worse, they have made the genesis of these problems possible. Modern science and technology, developed in universities, have made possible modern industry and agriculture, modern hygiene and medicine, modern power production and travel, modern armaments, which in turn make possible much that is good, all the great benefits of the modern world, but also all the global crises that now threaten our future. What has gone wrong? The fault lies with the whole conception of inquiry built into universities around the world. The basic idea is to help promote human welfare by, in the first instance, acquiring scientific knowledge and technological know-how. First, knowledge is to be acquired; once acquired, it can be applied to help solve social problems, and promote human welfare. But this basic idea is an intellectual disaster. Judged from the standpoint of promoting human welfare, it is profoundly and damagingly irrational, in a structural way. As a result of being restricted to the tasks of acquiring and applying knowledge, universities are prevented from doing what they most need to do to help humanity solve global problems, namely, engage actively with the public to promote action designed to solve global problems. Universities do not take their basic task to be public education about what our problems are, and what we need to do about them. As a result of giving priority to the pursuit of knowledge, universities do not even give priority within academia to the vital tasks of articulating problems of living, local and global, and proposing and critically assessing possible solutions-possible and actual actions, policies, political programmes, ways of living. As I have put it in a recent article, "It is hardly too much to say that Extinction Rebellion and Greta Thunberg have done more in one year to bring the climate crisis to public attention than all the universities of the world have done in 60 years ever since we first really knew that global warming would occur." Universities are in part responsible for the genesis of the global problems we face today, not because they have pursued scientific knowledge and technological know-how in such an extraordinarily successful way, but because they have done so in a way that is dissociated from a more fundamental concern to help humanity learn what our problems are, and what we need to do about them. We need urgently to bring about a revolution in universities around the world, wherever possible, so that their central task becomes to help humanity learn how to solve local and global problems of living, so that we may make progress towards a good, civilized world. Almost every branch and aspect of the university needs to change. This is an argument that I have spelled out in book after book, article after article, for nearly 50 years. It was first spelled out in detail in From Knowledge to Wisdom (Blackwell, 1984),

Development is a process of disproportionate
growth of systems. In economics, development
is a multidimensional process that generates economic,
technological, social and institutional
change to support wealth of nations and a comprehensive
wellbeing of people in society.

This conceptual paper describes some characteristics of revolution and evolution. Revolution here is an historical process that generates a rapid and structural change in society. Instead, evolution is a progressive growth and change, generating a transition from simple to complex systems. Overall, then, this study suggests that revolution and evolution are a result of human activity in society originated to satisfy specific needs and/or to cope with and adapt in the presence of environmental threats and changing contexts.

THIS IS YOUR CUE: TIME TO TAKE ACTION
Call upon the community or general public, parents and youths, mental health professionals, physicians and nurses, educators, Facebook and other internet social media, religious groups, athletes, celebrities, secular and SBNR, school administrators, news media, Hollywood, academia, scientists, employers and employees, business owners and managers, private individuals and public officials, to join their talents, opportunities, and influence to support student mental health and end school shootings. Sharing this article is one way you can help https://www.academia.edu/35809557

This article discusses the role of media
and communications in contributing
to social progress, as elaborated in a
landmark international project – the
International Panel on Social Progress.
First, it analyses how media and digital
platforms have contributed to global
inequality by examining media access
and infrastructure across world regions.
Second, it looks at media governance and
the different mechanisms of corporatized
control over media platforms, algorithms
and content. Third, the article examines
how the democratization of media is
a key element in the struggle for social
justice. It argues that effective media
access – in terms of distribution of media
resources, even relations between spaces of
connection and the design and operation
of spaces that foster dialogue, free speech
and respectful cultural exchange – is a
core component of social progress.

Human progress, driven by technical advances, increases wealth and well-being in society. However, socioeconomic and technological progress does not always lead to general wellbeing of people in society. In particular, this study shows some inconsistencies of human progress, technology-driven, on physical and mental health, given by a greater incidence of cancer and suicide in highly developed societies. Overall, then, empirical evidence seems to reveal that human progress generates positive effects but also leads to disorders for physical and mental health in the continuous evolution of society over time and space.

Recently, media and communication researchers have shown an increasing interest in critical data studies and ways to utilize data for social progress. In this commentary, I highlight several useful contributions in the International Panel on Social Progress' (IPSP) report toward identifying key data justice issues, before suggesting extra focus on algorithmic discrimination and implicit bias. Following my assessment of the IPSP's report, I emphasize the importance of two emerging media and communication areas – data ontology and semantic technology – that impact internet users daily yet receive limited attention from critical data researchers. I illustrate two examples to show how data ontologies and semantic technologies impact social processes by engaging in the hierarchization of social relations and entities, a practice that will become more common as the internet changes states towards a " smarter " version of itself.

First, it is shown that evidence-based argumentations can demonstrate that anyone’s real/ultimate self-interest is compatible with investing in a deliberate development of ethical systems, second, that scientific/causal determinism is not incompatible with ethical transformation efforts, third, that there is a crucial need for developing a new ethical theory (“cognitive-ethical-development and ethical-possibility-enhancement”: “CED and EPE”) that is integration of many scientific theories with a modified version of well-being and welfare ethics in order to effectively address any ethics-related issues for oneself and globally, and how it works. Also, according to this theory, it is primarily argued that both cognitive and ethical development of individuals, and systemic transformations are necessarily needed, and it is demonstrated that how such developments and transformations can be actualized thanks to “CED and EPE” approaches.

This paper explores the idea that the desirability of human enhancement stems from the utopianism of human existence and argues that the “human enhancement movement” (HEM) should be understood as a utopian pursuit that impacts both the individual and society in distinct ways. Here, it is argued that the utopian character of HEM is not faithfully realised if it fails to improve life in both the individual and social sense. In particular, it is here highlighted that utopia entails a certain ‘perpetuality’ in both instances, defined as a ‘persistent utopia’ by Miguel Abensour. This illustrates the enduring value of utopian thinking within the discussion on human enhancement. Through this, it is argued, we are able to both appreciate the desirability of HEM and then reconstitute and re-articulate the kind of change sought through HEM as inextricably social and socially-advancing. In so doing, HEM accommodates and supports (or should be understood as doing so) the continuous push for progress, or “betterment”, thereby shedding light on the inadequacies of human society. Moreover, it is postulated that HEM aims to develop both individuals and society writ large through a reciprocal and interminable cycle of influence which should be acknowledged and nurtured. The conclusion is that images of an enhanced human future instilled through HEM—undoubtedly utopian images—can have a direct and positive, policy shaping impact on the progression of human societies and its institutions. This focus should reshape the debate on enhancement.

This conceptual paper analyses the concept of development that is a process of progressive growth that generates a transition from simple to complex system. In economics, development is a multidimensional process that generates changes in economic, political, social and institutional structures to support an accelerated growth and improvementof nations for achieving and sustaining a comprehensive wellbeing of people in society. Some theories of economic development are briefly discussed, considering national and regional economic systems. Finally, some critical contradictions of the process of economic development in society are discussed to conclude this study.

Se indaga alrededor de cinco consideraciones para empezar a repensar la formación inicial de los futuros maestros de matemáticas con el doble propósito de que, además de garantizar que adquieran un conocimiento profesional experto para fomentar el desarrollo de la competencia matemática de los alumnos, adquieran también las herramientas necesarias para que sus futuros alumnos sean ciudadanos reflexivos y críticos que participen activamente en el progreso social. Las consideraciones giran alrededor de cinco ejes: 1) repensar la formación inicial desde la educación matemática vs. la enseñanza de las matemáticas; 2) diseñar programas de formación centrados en los procesos matemáticos vs. los contenidos matemáticos; 3) incluir el primer ciclo de Educación Infantil (0-3) vs. sesgar la formación a partir del segundo ciclo (3-6); 4) considerar la educación inclusiva vs. la educación excluyente; y 5) conectar la educación matemática con la educación para la sostenibilidad. Se concluye que para poder abordar estas consideraciones y, de forma más genérica, para que la universidad siga siendo un espacio de intermediación que tenga sentido desde la perspectiva de la educación matemática, se necesita tiempo durante la formación inicial. Un tiempo que, a partir de datos empíricos, se constata que actualmente muy escaso. Palabras clave: Formación inicial de maestros de matemáticas; competencia matemática; educación inclusiva; educación para la sostenibilidad; progreso social.
Abstract: This paper presents five considerations to promote the rethinking of initial training of future mathematics teachers. The objective is twofold: on the one hand, to ensure that they acquire expert professional knowledge to help their students develop mathematics competence; and on the other, to provide them with the necessary tools to encourage their future students to become reflexive and critical citizens who participate actively in social progress. The considerations are based on five key areas: 1) rethink initial training based on mathematics education as opposed to mathematics teaching; 2) design training programmes focused on mathematics processes versus mathematics content; 3) include the first cycle of Early Childhood Education (0-3) rather than biasing training towards the second cycle (3-6); 4) consider education as inclusive rather than exclusive; and 5) connect mathematics education with education for sustainability. The conclusion drawn is that time is needed during initial training to be able to address these considerations in a general way, and so that the university continues to be a meaningful space of intermediation from the perspective of mathematics education. Empirical data shows that the time dedicated to this at present is scarce.

This article discusses the role of media and communications in contributing to social progress, as elaborated in a landmark international project – the International Panel on Social Progress. First, it analyses how media and digital platforms have contributed to global inequality by examining media access and infrastructure across world regions. Second, it looks at media governance and the different mechanisms of corporatized control over media platforms, algorithms and content. Third, the article examines how the democratization of media is a key element in the struggle for social justice. It argues that effective media access – in terms of distribution of media resources, even relations between spaces of connection and the design and operation of spaces that foster dialogue, free speech and respectful cultural exchange – is a core component of social progress.

This paper analyzes the rankings of the United States in critical areas so that people can easily evaluate how well the country is doing. Areas discussed include Social Progress Index, Quality of Infrastructure, Income Inequality, Social Mobility, Global Peace Index, Stability of Nations, Democracy, Median Wealth per Adult, Poverty Rate, Happiness, Perception of Corruption, Education, Life Expectancy, Healthcare System, Top 25 Countries in the World, Reputation of Country, and Prison Population. It is hoped that examining the above statistics will make people aware of what needs to be done if the United States wants to remain a world power.

The book about the objective laws of nature and society. Based on the paradigms of positivism and dialectical materialism proposes a new concept of civilization development. The author violated the unwritten ban on study of the relationship between society and the social elite, analyzing their driving forces and mechanisms. The detailed classification of the social elite introduces a number of new concepts and categories and is based on the thesis about the parasitic elite functions in a social environment. As the main driving force of civilization development is the confrontation of the State and Society.
Книга об объективных законах развития природы и общества. На основе парадигм позитивизма и диалектического материализма предлагается новая концепция цивилизационного развития. Автор нарушает табу на исследование отношений между обществом и социальной элитой, анализируя их движущие силы и механизмы. В работе дается подробная классификация видов социальных элит, вводится целый ряд новых понятий и категорий, а также обосновывается тезис о паразитической функции элиты в социальной среде. В качестве основной движущей силы цивилизационного развития рассматривается противостояние государства и общества.

This chapter compares the development of Latin American countries with that of traditionally developed nations, based on several international indicators of well-being and sustainability that have emerged in the last decade. It is argued that in Latin America there is a specific type of development, which could be understood as an alternative path to the traditional model of social progress. The key to understand this type of development would be "the efficiency of subjective well-being": people get high happiness and life satisfaction with lower economic, state and environmental costs than in traditionally developed countries. It is suggested that the cohesion and quality of family ties is a key factor to explain this particular form of development: in Latin America the family has a relevant role in social security and at the same time would be important to explain the outstanding levels of subjective well-being.

This article discusses the role of media and communications in contributing to social
progress, as elaborated in a landmark international project –– the International Panel on
Social Progress. First, it analyses how media and digital platforms have contributed to global
inequality by examining media access and infrastructure across world regions. Second, it
looks at media governance and the different mechanisms of corporatized control over media
platforms, algorithms, and contents. Third, the article examines how the democratization of
media is a key element in the struggle for social justice. It argues that effective media
access—in terms of distribution of media resources, even relations between spaces of
connection and the design and operation of spaces that foster dialogue, free speech and
respectful cultural exchange—is a core component of social progress.

The concept of progress has characterized human society for millennia. The goal of this paper is to suggest a definition of human progress that is a concept too often given for certain. The theoretical framework is based on philosophical and sociological researches from the Nineteenth century to the present day. This study proposes human progress as an inexhaustible process driven by an ideal of maximum wellbeing which, on attainment of any of its goals or objectives for increasing wellbeing, then seeks another consequential goal and objective, endlessly, which more closely approximates its ideal. The ideal of human progress as time approaches infinity is the expansion of scientific knowledge, the improvement of technology and the growth of freedom directed to increase wellbeing in society. In the global, capitalistic, and post-humanistic Era, the concept of human progress has been linked to several dimensions represented by science advances, technological evolution, economic growth, extended education, long and healthy life of individuals and society. These factors support the acquisition by humanity of better and more complex forms of life. However, human progress also generates - during its continuous process without limit– negative effects for human being and society. This study shows the inconsistency of the equation economic growth= progress. Philosophical and sociological implications are discussed.

LE FRONT POPULAIRE VA AVOIR
85 ANS

Loin de moi de faire un panégyrique du Front Populaire qui n’est plus d’actualité dans la société d’aujourd’hui tellement les choses ont changé, même si la lutte pour l’égalité de tous et la liberté de tous, d’expression de mouvement, de travail, de pensée, de religion et bien d’autres encore sont toujours d’actualité. Mais les mobilisations de rue sont aujourd’hui les otages des commandos para-sociaux clandestins de ce que certains considèrent les banlieues alors que leurs organisateurs sont issus de la classe moyenne parfois supérieure. Le sens de l’aventure violente n’a pas de limites mentales et encore moins de limites sociales.

The paper is devoted to fundamental issues concerning to the ideology of the future sustainable development. Its implementation has available in the first place basing on the recognized framework concept of sustainable development (SD). At the same time, this concept requires serious improvement. As follows from the argumenta-tion, a realistic design of institutional changes in connection with resource and organ-izational/behavioral changes needed for SD is called for to realize in the line of overall social system transformation. Its adequate understanding presupposes an exhaustive study of interconnected transformations in the main social fields as system processes taking into account the influence of relatively exogenous factors (technological, demographic and climate changes). According to the author, the transition to global sustainable social transformation is achievable. Main attention focuses on a number of possible fundamental shifts, the synergetic implementation of which will make such a transition possible. Proceeding from the arguments, the sustainable reproduction of the economy of a mature post-industrial type, including the green sectors, implies its stable and quiet growth, although the rapid growth of individual markets, especially innovative ones, may take place. The main findings also include the substantiation in favor of the choice of the national middle way model as the most appropriate for the corresponding sustainable system transformation of society.

Two great problems of learning confront humanity: learning about the nature of the universe and about ourselves and other living things as a part of the universe, and learning how to become civilized. The first problem was solved, in essence, in the 17th century, with the creation of modern science. But the second problem has not yet been solved. Solving the first problem without also solving the second puts us in a situation of great danger. All our current global problems have arisen as a result. What we need to do, in response to this unprecedented crisis, is learn from our solution to the first problem how to solve the second. This was the basic idea of the 18th century Enlightenment. Unfortunately, in carrying out this programme, the Enlightenment made three blunders, and it is this defective version of the Enlightenment programme, inherited from the past, that is still built into the institutional/intellectual structure of academic inquiry in the 21st century.  In order to solve the second great problem of learning we need to correct the three blunders of the traditional Enlightenment. This involves changing the nature of social inquiry, so that social science becomes social methodology or social philosophy, concerned to help us build into social life the progress-achieving methods of aim-oriented rationality, arrived at by generalizing the progress-achieving methods of science. It also involves, more generally, bringing about a revolution in the nature of academic inquiry as a whole, so that it takes up its proper task of helping humanity learn how to become wiser by increasingly cooperatively rational means. The scientific task of improving knowledge and understanding of nature becomes a part of the broader task of improving global wisdom.  The outcome would be what we so urgently need: a kind of inquiry rationally designed and devoted to helping us make progress towards a genuinely civilized world.  We would succeed in doing what the Enlightenment tried but failed to do: learn from scientific progress how to go about making social progress towards as good a world as possible.

This is the power point presentation of a lecture delivered in a seminar  organised by the Centre for Studies in Civilizations on Science, Literature and Aesthetics held during 25-26 August 2006 at the India International Centre, New Delhi.The title of my paper was “Organic Evolution and Social Progress: Darwin Revisited”.

Conosciuto soprattutto per il suo contributo alla diffusione di alcune importanti correnti di pensiero nel campo giuridico, filosofico ed economico, Francesco Trinchera è stato trascurato come autore di diversi discorsi e opere di contenuto economico. Questo paper si concentra sui seguenti aspetti: a) il ruolo significativo di Francesco Trinchera come economista e storico del pensiero economico; b) il suo coinvolgimento nel dibattito metodologico sul ruolo dell’Economia politica; c) il suo impegno riguardo alla definizione di un progetto di sviluppo economico e sociale dell’Italia Unita.

Francesco Trinchera, well known above all for his contribution to the spread of some important European schools of thought in the juridical, philosophical and economic fields, has been neglected as the author of various economic works and speeches. This paper focuses on the following aspects: a) the significant role of Francesco Trinchera as an economist and historian of economic thought; b) his involvement in the methodological debate of his time about the role of Political Economy; c) his commitment to the process of economic and social development of the United Kingdom of Italy.