The idea of progress
There are many opinions and a lot of litterature concerning the basic question, if progress exists at all or not. Not wishing to enumerate all this here, I have overtaken the following definition from wikipedia.de: there, progress is defined as “groundbreaking improvements through significant changes of existing conditions or processes in human societies”.
I clearly reply YES to the question posed above, if there is progress or not! If we compare the conditions and processes in the european societies of the 21st century with those e. g. of the Sumerians approx. 5000 years ago, we hence obtain a clear proof of this standpoint.
Also at this point, I go along with Stephen Pinker’s view: “Most people agree, that life is better than death. Health is better than sickness. Food is better than hunger. Prosperity is better than poverty. Peace is better than war. Safeness is better than danger. Freedom is better than tyranny. Equal rights are better than small-mindedness and discrimination. Alphabetism is better than analphabetism. Knowledge is better than ignorance. Intelligence is better than stupidity. Happiness is better than suffering. Opportunities to enjoy family, friends, culture and nature are better than drudgery and monotony. All these things can be measured. If they have increased over time, this is progress” (1)
Criticism of progress
Criticism of progress is part of the complex discussion around progress. It exists since a long time and of course is justified. Denis Mäder has published a very interesting article on the topic (4).
Per definitionem, in this respect the conservative parties are facing a structural problem, because they and their constituency actually wish to maintain the existing conditions and processes. The world being subject to permanent change, such an approach is impossible, or only at the cost that the conditions are less and less compliant to the new times.
A recurrent theme within the criticism of progress is the alienation from nature, as described e. g. by Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Everybody needs to evaluate that for him/herself, but me defining culture as an opposite or a transgression to nature, this alienation is inevitable. It also must not lead to an emnity towards nature.
Political goal: liberty
For me, human liberty, the absence of immediate constraints, is a key indicator. As said above, the more parameters of our existence have improved, the greater is our liberty. Our space of possibilities has increased.
A political goal can be deduced from this: to enhance the conditions and processes of our society in such a way, that our liberties do increase. In doing so, we have to consider that the sum of the liberties of all members of the society do increase.