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Society as a control loop (61)

Progress as destiny

"...The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." This statement, first put to words by Martin Luther King, perfectly exemplifies that ideology of many progressives. People with good intent believe that over the long term, society tends towards moral progress and overall betterment. 

This blind positivity affects all kinds of liberal minded people. For some, this belief takes a distinct techno-optimist flavour, where technology is expected to keep improving our lives. For others that are influenced by the reverberations of materialistic dialectics, the natural evolution of the mass accumulation of wealth is its fair distribution. And so it seems that all is well under the sun.

The pendulum has hypnotized us

So here is where there is a problem with this notion of perpetual improvement - things are definitely not improving if you are seeing the world with an appreciation for freedom and justice. How then do then the people that are drunk on the myth of deterministic progress, deal with the contradiction of things regressing?

The answer is ideological narratives and metaphor. The concept of the pendulum is often brought up. Society has its ups and downs, but eventually the total impact will, allegedly, end up showing upwards. This view essentially boils down to viewing society as a self correcting system, akin to control loop. Despite the noise and occasional bad inputs, the inherent societal mechanisms will reward the better ideas and end up improving our lives.

The cost of taking progress for granted

There is a danger hiding behind thinking of society as a control loop. This belief that everything will fix itself has the capacity to act as a pacifier and make us numb to society around us. Instead of taking collective action, if progress is taken for granted, the rational thing to do is take care for our own self interest. Forgetting that in the path to stabilization, there will be needless casualties. Yet another tug to the powerful cult of ego, consuming our culture.

But taking progress for granted comes with bigger problems than making us more individualistic. While it may have been true in another day, today this belief no longer holds up. The problems of the past have mostly been linear, in the sense that negative effects could be repaired with proportional effort. But today's problems are non-linear! Ecological collapse or culture change are things that are much harder to repair than to maintain and have impact on many aspects of life. In the analogy of our control loop, our simple system might encounter severe instability to the point of ceasing to function as expected.

Of course, the point is not to panic. Rather, contemplate: how should humanity deal with the problems that our powers have brought to us? What is the role of the individual or society? I do not claim to have the answers, but we ought to keep the questions in mind lest we drift aimlessly.


 

Comments

  1. HipthiJuly 20, 2025 at 1:23 PM

    It is undeniably,an era of great changes..even if the way of thinking of our civilisation .I wish there were some guidelines..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. New PhaistosJuly 22, 2025 at 11:29 AM

      There are guidelines but some of them only partially apply. What always holds true is a humble perspective, appreciation for life (lets start with our neighbors) and active participation with what we personally care ( municipal meetings, unions, climate organizations, sports groups... there is something for everyone!)

      Delete

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