Progress and History

About this book

This work is a scholarly survey of the concept of progress as it has unfolded through Western history. It opens with a reflective preface that contrasts a previous, static treatment of civilization’s unifying forces with the present volume’s dynamic approach, then launches into a series of essays that trace the idea from prehistoric societies through Hellenism, the Middle Ages, religion, moral development, government, industry, art, science, and philosophy. The introductory essay by F. S. Marvin recounts a casual Oxford stroll where three interlocutors, philosopher, lady, and editor, offer complementary definitions of progress as knowledge, power, and human empathy, setting the stage for a historical inquiry that examines how the term emerged in Latin usage, how Lucretius first articulated it, and how later Christian and Enlightenment thinkers reshaped its meaning.

The volume reads like a late‑19th‑century academic symposium, with a formal, erudite tone and frequent citations of classical sources. Its contributors, professors, clergy, and scholars from Oxford and Cambridge, write in a measured, essayistic style that blends narrative history with philosophical analysis. Readers who relish intellectual journeys through ideas, enjoy detailed examinations of how concepts evolve across epochs, and appreciate the interplay of cultural, religious, and scientific perspectives will find this collection both stimulating and rewarding.