Réponse: In “Does Improved Technology Mean Progress?” Leo Marx examines the idea that improvements in technology lead to historical progress. First, he looks at the Enlightenment belief of history as progress that became the prevailing American worldview after developments were made in the factory system. Then, he analyzes the technocratic idea of progress, which says that the advancement of science-based technologies will lead to improvements in the social, political, and cultural conditions of life. By sharing some historical examples, such as the Nazi holocaust and the nuclear arms race, Marx illustrates how modern technologies may not always lead to progress, and instead can lead to the destructive use or misuse of new technologies. The common view of progress today is that innovations in science-based technologies are a sufficient basis for progress. However, there are many people who would probably combat this view. I would probably be one of these people since I do not think that improved technologies automatically mean progress.
